Popular Paper Problems

There has been a trend recently of large-scale metropolitan newspapers losing circulation, while community papers are thriving.



EXAMPLES OF BAD CIRCULATION IN THE METROPOLITAN ARENA:

Paper Circulation for six months ending March 31 2008: % change vs. '07

USA Today......................................2,284,219 .........................+0.27
Wall Street Journal.......................2,069,463........................+0.35%
New York Times............................1,077,256 .........................-3.85%
Los Angeles Times..........................773,884...........................-5.13%
New York Daily News................... 703,137...........................-2.09%
New York Post............................... 702,488......................... -2.35%
Washington Post........................... 673,180.......................... -3.57%
Chicago Tribune............................ 541,663........................... -4.44%
Houston Chronicle....................... 494,131............................ -1.79%
Arizona Republic ..........................413,332........................... -4.70%
Newsday........................................ 379,613............................ -4.68%
San Francisco Chronicle............. 370,345............................. -4.20%
Dallas Morning News.................. 368,313............................-10.59%
Boston Globe................................ 350,605............................. -8.34%



(Information from http://seekingalpha.com/article/74417-newspaper-circulation-wsj-usa-today-manage-to-buck-trend)



Obviously, most of these papers haven't been doing very well. Why? I called the Provo Daily Herald circulation office and asked them that question. They confirmed what I had thought: people just don't have time to read big newspapers. Steven, the man I talked with, called it "time empoverishment." The internet is just a more convenient, inexpensive, and efficient medium for gleaning national information than a bulky and expensive newspaper. Television also provides news in a quick and efficient manner, and requires less time than tedious reading does.

Steve also told me that studies show that about 40% of people buy newspapers for the advertisements. They want the information about sales and offers, and newspaper is a way to get it. But with the development of the online media, advertisement is easier than ever. If I want to see an advertisement for paints, because I'm working on a house project, I can go look up good deals immediately on the internet. I can even request emailed advertisements. For these reasons, it makes sense that newspapers would be on the decline.



However, small community papers are bucking this trend.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle is a bit of an example. In 2008, its circulation for the third quarter was around 17,800 people. Although overall circulation went down 2% from 2007 to 2008, house delivery sales went up, as well as online subscriptions.



What can be learned from this? While people may not go out of there way to buy newspapers on the street, they do like local papers delivered to their houses or viewed online.


Why would local newspapers be doing well when metro ones are declining? I beleive (and Steve agrees) that small community newspapers are still the most effective way to get local news. National news and advertising can be found all over the internet, but local news stories--like personal profiles, city council meeting results, and events schedules--are harder to find. They exist in the far reaches of cyberspace. These small-town news stories and articles belong best being locally circulated thru newspapers. There is no discrimination between cities online. You can get info no matter where you are from. Thus, information pertinent to only your community is harder to find, because no geographic boundaries exist. For these reasons, community papers are more successful in the face of the rising online media boom.

I believe metro papers will continue to decrease in popularity, while local papers will remain an important source of local news for a very long time.