Raleigh N&O’s print circulation drops

First, some background to this post - - -

The McClatchy Company’s liberal/leftist Raleigh News & Observer has not in recent years consistently reported in the print edition (or as far as I know at its online site, either) the paper’s circulation numbers as provided by Audit Bureau of Circulations.

The ABC, considered the “gold standard” for determining newspaper’s circulations, reports twice yearly circulation numbers for a sixth month period. The two periods are Oct. – Mar and Apr. – Sept.

Using the N&O’s archives I couldn’t find, for example, any news story reporting ABC numbers for either of the two most recent ABC reporting periods (Oct. ’07- Mar ’08 and Apr. ’08- Sept. ’08).

A journalist friend helped me access and navigate the ABC site. The friend showed me how to call up a list of North Carolina newspapers with their circulations for the period Apr – Sept. 30, 2008. I’ve pasted that list at the end of this post.

I also located an N&O story from May 1, 2007 that reported ABC numbers for the period from Oct – Mar. 31, 2007. (See here. Circulation numbers I cite are found in the chart which accompanies the story.)

Using numbers from the two documents and rounding to the nearest thousand, I can report:

According to the ABC for the six-month period Oct-Mar, 31, 2007, the N&O had a daily circulation (M-F) of 177,000; for the six-month period Apr-Sept. 30, 2008, the N&O had a daily circulation (M-F) of 159,000.

Thus, during the year-and-a-half-year period (Mar. ’07 to Sept. ’08) reported on here, the ABC found the N&O’s daily circulation had declined by 18, 000, which represents a daily (M-F) circulation decline of just over 10%.

Also according to the ABC, during the same year-and-a-half-year period the N&O’s Sunday circulation declined from 213,000 to 206,000. The circulation loss of 7, 000 represents a percentage decline of just over 3%.

Some perspective on those circulation losses:

Keep in mind we commonly consider circulation in year-over-year terms, while these circulation numbers cover a year-and-a-half-year period.

That said, the circulation declines reported here have to be very, very troubling to anyone who wishes the N&O well.

During the same time period considered here, population growth in the N&O’s circulation area has been strong (statistical data on recent growth are not yet available. County planners and real estate people I spoke with for this post agreed a combined estimate of population growth per annum of 3% for Johnson, Wake, Durham and Orange Counties which include the N&O’s major circulation area is a reasonable estimate).

The N&O has no real newspaper competitor. The closest to one is the Durham Herald Sun.

During the same time period looked at here and again using ABC numbers, the H-S daily and Sunday circulations each dropped from 37, 000 both daily (M-F) and Sunday to 30,000 (daily) and 29,000 (Sunday).

Since few people here have ever subscribed simultaneously to the H-S and N&O, the H-S’s loss of readers presented the N&O with a splendid opportunity to pick up a good number of those 7,000 (daily) and 8,000 (Sunday) former H-S readers.

For almost four years as the H-S’s circulation has been both daily and Sunday more than 20,000 the N&O has made a major efforts to sign those former H-S readers up.

I’ll say more about how successful the N&O has been signing up those 20,000 or so former H-S readers in a future post. I mention them here only to add to the perspective you can bring to the N&O’s circulation declines.

Look for another post in a day or so on the N&O’s circulation situation.

In the meantime, those of you interested in Man’s capacity for self-deception may want to read this Mar. 30, 2008 post: N&O says it’ll be “greater than ever.”

US NEWSPAPER - SEARCH RESULTS

Search Type: United States	Circulation averages for the six months ended: 9/30/2008
State: North Carolina
Selection: No city submitted (Contains)
Sort By: Title ASC
Results Found: 61
Preliminary figures subject to audit as filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations. * Total Circulation = Total Average Paid Circulation

Publication Name	Frequency	Circulation Type	Total Circulation*	Filing Status
ADVANCE, ELIZABETH CITY (PASQUOTANK CO.)	E (M-SAT)	DLY	9,990
ADVANCE, ELIZABETH CITY (PASQUOTANK CO.)	SUN	DLY	9,811
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES, MOREHEAD CITY-BEAUFORT (CARTERET CO.)	WED & FRI	WKL	9,515
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES, MOREHEAD CITY-BEAUFORT (CARTERET CO.)	SUN	WKL	10,924
CITIZEN-TIMES, ASHEVILLE (BUNCOMBE CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	49,729
CITIZEN-TIMES, ASHEVILLE (BUNCOMBE CO.)	SUN	DLY	56,621
CITIZEN-TIMES, ASHEVILLE (BUNCOMBE CO.)	SAT M	DLY	44,489
DAILY NEWS, WASHINGTON (BEAUFORT CO.)	M (M-SAT)	DLY		N/F
DAILY NEWS, WASHINGTON (BEAUFORT CO.)	SUN	DLY		N/F
DISPATCH, HENDERSON (VANCE CO.)	SUN	DLY	7,461
DISPATCH, HENDERSON (VANCE CO.)	M (TUE-SAT)	DLY	7,274
DISPATCH, LEXINGTON (DAVIDSON CO.)	E (M-SAT)	DLY	9,728
ENQUIRER-JOURNAL, MONROE (UNION CO.)	M (TUE-SAT)	DLY	7,666
ENQUIRER-JOURNAL, MONROE (UNION CO.)	SUN	DLY	7,934
ENTERPRISE, HIGH POINT (GUILFORD CO.)	M (M-SAT)	DLY	18,693
ENTERPRISE, HIGH POINT (GUILFORD CO.)	SUN	DLY	21,632
GAZETTE, GASTONIA (GASTON CO.)	SAT M	DLY	27,064
GAZETTE, GASTONIA (GASTON CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	26,979
GAZETTE, GASTONIA (GASTON CO.)	SUN	DLY	29,454
HERALD, SANFORD (LEE CO.)	SUN	DLY	8,645
HERALD, SANFORD (LEE CO.)	M (TUE-SAT)	DLY	8,758
HERALD-SUN, DURHAM (DURHAM CO.)	SAT M	DLY	24,965
HERALD-SUN, DURHAM (DURHAM CO.)	SUN	DLY	30,192
HERALD-SUN, DURHAM (DURHAM CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	29,449
JOURNAL, WINSTON-SALEM (FORSYTH CO.)	SUN	DLY	89,645
JOURNAL, WINSTON-SALEM (FORSYTH CO.)	SAT M	DLY	81,332
JOURNAL, WINSTON-SALEM (FORSYTH CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	76,461
MOUNTAINEER, WAYNESVILLE (HAYWOOD CO.)	MON, WED & FRI	WKL		N/F
NEWS & OBSERVER, RALEIGH (WAKE CO.)	SUN	DLY	205,654
NEWS & OBSERVER, RALEIGH (WAKE CO.)	SAT M	DLY	165,255
NEWS & OBSERVER, RALEIGH (WAKE CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	158,573
NEWS & RECORD, GREENSBORO (GUILFORD CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	77,587
NEWS & RECORD, GREENSBORO (GUILFORD CO.)	SUN	DLY	97,177
NEWS & RECORD, GREENSBORO (GUILFORD CO.)	SAT M	DLY	78,295
NEWS HERALD, MORGANTON (BURKE CO.)	M (M-F)	DLY		N/F
NEWS HERALD, MORGANTON (BURKE CO.)	SUN	DLY		N/F
NEWS-ARGUS, GOLDSBORO (WAYNE CO.)	SUN	DLY	20,617
NEWS-ARGUS, GOLDSBORO (WAYNE CO.)	E (M-F)	DLY	17,817
NEWS-TOPIC, LENOIR (CALDWELL CO.)	M (TUE-SAT)	DLY	8,352
NEWS-TOPIC, LENOIR (CALDWELL CO.)	SUN	DLY	8,014
OBSERVER, CHARLOTTE (MECKLENBURG CO.)	SUN	DLY	252,300
OBSERVER, CHARLOTTE (MECKLENBURG CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	193,577
OBSERVER, CHARLOTTE (MECKLENBURG CO.)	SAT M	DLY	219,883
OBSERVER, FAYETTEVILLE (CUMBERLAND CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	58,758
OBSERVER, FAYETTEVILLE (CUMBERLAND CO.)	SUN	DLY	64,177
OBSERVER, FAYETTEVILLE (CUMBERLAND CO.)	SAT M	DLY	59,583
POST, SALISBURY-SPENCER-EAST SPENCER (ROWAN CO.)	M (M-SAT)	DLY	21,389
POST, SALISBURY-SPENCER-EAST SPENCER (ROWAN CO.)	SUN	DLY	21,886
RECORD & LANDMARK, STATESVILLE (IREDELL CO.)	SUN	DLY	16,545
RECORD & LANDMARK, STATESVILLE (IREDELL CO.)	M (M-SAT)	DLY	13,269
REFLECTOR, GREENVILLE (PITT CO.)	SAT M	DLY	18,746
REFLECTOR, GREENVILLE (PITT CO.)	SUN	DLY	21,378
REFLECTOR, GREENVILLE (PITT CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	20,709
STAR-NEWS, WILMINGTON (NEW HANOVER CO.)	SUN	DLY	52,216
STAR-NEWS, WILMINGTON (NEW HANOVER CO.)	AVG M (M-F)	DLY	45,681
STAR-NEWS, WILMINGTON (NEW HANOVER CO.)	SAT M	DLY	45,869
TELEGRAM, ROCKY MOUNT (EDGECOMBE & NASH COS.)	SUN	DLY	15,880
TELEGRAM, ROCKY MOUNT (EDGECOMBE & NASH COS.)	M (M-SAT)	DLY	13,261
TIMES-NEWS, HENDERSONVILLE (HENDERSON CO.)	SUN	DLY	16,893
TIMES-NEWS, HENDERSONVILLE (HENDERSON CO.)	SAT M	DLY	16,245
TIMES-NEWS, HENDERSONVILLE (HENDERSON CO.)