Newspaper Circulation Declines Another 2.6 Percent in the Past Six Months

All together now…“Awwwwwwwww.”

Newspapers circulation rates took another steep decline in the six-month period ending in March according to a just released AP report (hat tip to Drudge): “The decline in average paid weekday circulation was about the same as the previous six-month reporting cycle for the period ending last September, according to the Newspaper Association of America, a trade group.”

Some of America’s most “popular” dailies were amongst the biggest losers: “Several top newspapers reported significant declines in the period, including Tribune Co.'s Los Angeles Times, down 5.4 percent at 851,832; The Washington Post, down 3.7 percent at 724,242; the New York Daily News, also down 3.7 percent at 708,477.”

The biggest percentage loser was the San Francisco Chronicle “where average paid weekday circulation fell 15.6 percent to 398,246.” There were other dailies showing huge declines, “including The Boston Globe, down 8.5 percent to 397,288, and The Atlanta Journal- Constitution, down 6.7 percent to 365,011.”

However, the news wasn’t all bad. Although the AP didn’t identify who the big winners were, “the NAA also reported Monday that newspaper-run Web sites had an 8 percent increase in viewers in the first quarter.” Unfortunately, the article didn’t address whether this online increase offset the circulation decrease.