The latest circulation numbers for the nation’s largest daily newspapers have been released and they’re so ugly you could wear them for Halloween. While the slump affects almost every major daily, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been especially hard hit.
I know, I know. You get tired of hearing us harp about the circulation slide over on Marietta Street, but this time it’s worse than usual. Last fall, the AJC had one of the larger declines with a 9-percent drop in paid circulation. This time, however, our hometown daily suffered the biggest plunge of the nation’s largest newspapers, with a 13.6-percent loss.
The other double-digit losers were the Houston Chronicle, with a 11.6-percent decline; the Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 percent; Newark Star-Ledger, 10.4; and the venerable Boston Globe, 10.2.
Among papers with a national circulation, the New York Times slipped 3.6 percent and USA Today and The Wall Street Journal remained flat.
Now, one factor in the AJC’s free-falling numbers could be its decision to reduce its distribution zone from more than 200 counties in Georgia and neighboring states to 73 counties clustered around Atlanta. However, that cost-cutting change took place in early 2007 and represented only 5 percent of the existing circulation.
Times are tough all over.
UPDATE: I just received a message from AJC spokeswoman Jennifer Morrow, who tells me I forgot to mention additional distribution changes. Here’s her explanation:
The AJC discontinued distribution in 23 outlying counties this past summer and attributes to about half of the circulation decline; your story only addresses the footprint change in 2007.
These numbers also reflect a planned decline due to fewer sponsored papers, transitioning to an E-edition with our newspaper in education program, as well as a home delivery and weekday single copy price increase. Adjusting for those planned circulation cutbacks, our circulation is down 6.8% daily and -0.1% Sunday.
Today’s report reflects not only circulation but audience data. The AJC’s total print and online audience over the past seven days has climbed to 2.22 million, an increase of 3.4% compared to one year ago. This represents a weekly reach of almost 58% of the Atlanta market’s adult population.
Point taken, but then it’s quite possible that many of the newspapers on the list have similar explanations for their drops in circulation. In other words, if you factor in the relevant extenuating circumstances in each individual case, the AJC could still have seen the biggest decline among major dailies. Or not.
Like most newspapers, the AJC is fervently trying to shift the focus from paid circulation to total readership – including online, where it does especially well. After all, paid circ is only one of several indicators of a newspaper’s market performance. Unfortunately, it’s the one that most advertisers best understand. And until someone comes up with an updated business model, falling circulation will still be bad news in this industry.
