Archive for the ‘Circulation’ Category

The new circulation numbers are out, and they show a 7% decline for newspapers in six months. That’s less than I expected, which may reflect my gloomy outlook more than the reality. It’s still bad. MarketWatch story.

‘Richmond Times-Dispatch’ Lays Off 59, Cuts 31 Open Jobs
‘Richmond Times-Dispatch’ Lays Off 59, Cuts 31 Open Jobs

By Joe Strupp

Published: April 02, 2009 2:45 P MET

NEW YORK The Richmond Times-Dispatch today laid off 59 employees and announced another 31 open jobs would not be filled, according to a Web story, which said the cuts would span nearly all departments.

“In addition, there will be no pay increases for non-unionized RTD employees this year, extending the suspension enacted earlier this year,” the story said. “The RTD will be inviting the Richmond Newspapers Professional Association (RNPA) to join in this needed savings.” Read the rest of this entry »

I thought maybe we’d get through a week without any really bad news on the newspaper front, but the Atlanta Constitution spoiled things by announcing plans to cut its full-time staff by 90 people — nearly 30 percent. They’ll also pull back on their circulation area, no longer delivering to outlying counties.

Earlier this week, they laid off 48 part-time news staffers. Most ominous of all is the word froom publisher Doug Franklin that “Today’s announcements are the first in a series of initiatives we’ll announce over the next 90 days.”

To have any hope of finding a model that supports quality reporting in the future, we need to look back at the basics of how newspapers make their money. (I know I’m talking as if newspapers were the only media that matter, but the reality is that they are the source of most good local reporting.)

So how do they pay the bills? Revenue comes from two sources: subscriptions and ads. Those two things go together. (OK, there are also newsstand sales, but they’re a minor part of the picture.) Read the rest of this entry »

From Jon Friedman’s Marketwatch column.

Newsweek looks like a magazine in decline
Commentary: Parent Washington Post should combine it with Slate

By Jon Friedman, MarketWatch
Last update: 12:01 a.m. EST Dec. 15, 2008

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Remember Newsweek, once widely recognized as one of the great brand names in the media world

Yes, you read that correctly — I wrote “once.” I don’t think it’s true any longer, sorry to say. This looks like a magazine in decline, both financially and journalistically. Read the rest of this entry »