US newspaper circulation declines 4.99 per cent

With no let up to the decade-old newspaper industry woes in the US, average daily newspaper circulation fell 4.99 per cent in the six months through September compared with the same period a year ago, according to a report from the US Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), released yesterday.

The average weekday circulation for 635 US dailies fell 4.99 per cent or the period ended 30 September from a year earlier following a decline of 8.7 per cent in the six months through 31 March and 11 per cent through 30 September2009, said the ABC.

Circulation for 553 Sunday papers was down 4.5 per cent for the reporting period, but the decline was smaller than the 6.5 per cent in the six months through 31 March.
Of the top 25 US daily papers, only two newspapers showed a circulation gain, while three posted declines of at least 10 per cent.

The Dallas Morning News average daily circulation increased marginally by 0.25 per cent to 264,459 copies, while Rupert Murdoch's News Corp owned The Wall Street Journal, ranked No 1 was up 1.82 per cent to 2.06 million, which includes paid for electronic subscriptions.

Among the country's largest papers, the largest declines were seen at Cablevision Systems Corp owned Newsday, where circulation fell 12 per cent, and 11 per cent at the San Francisco Chronicle.

USA Today remained the largest paper by circulation but still lost 3.7 per cent to 1.83 million copies to be ranked at No 2. Low Business travel affected the paper's circulation as hotels are its biggest buyers.