US press: Circulation continues to shrink
Circulation figures for U.S. newspapers have declined significantly over the past six months. On average, newspapers sold just under 9 percent fewer copies than during the same period last year. Sunday sales fell by 6.5 percent, and weekday sales by 8.7 percent.
As the Audit Bureau of Circulations announced on Monday, almost all major US newspapers were affected by the decline in circulation. In total, ten of the 25 largest US titles recorded a decline of more than ten percent. In terms of weekday sales, the San Francisco Chronicle lost the most at minus 22.7 percent. Circulation figures for the Sunday editions were generally somewhat better, although most of them also had to contend with sharp declines. According to industry service Pressetext, however, there are slight indications that the massive drop in circulation is slowing down. The New York Times, for example, was able to slightly increase its average weekday circulation again when comparing the past six months with the previous six months. Some other US titles - including the Wall Street Journal - also saw a slight increase.
