| December 2005 | |
Circulation declines at 53% of newspapersRelated story: 2005 news wrapup Weekly newspapers fared the best in maintaining circulation in 2005 with only half of the 372 weeklies recording declines. The news was not as bright though for daily and semiweekly newspapers — 59 percent of dailies and 70 percent of semiweeklies lost circulation this year. Overall, Texas newspapers lost 109,410 total combined average circulation in 2005. But the good news is the combined loss is better than in 2004 when Texas newspapers dropped 122,299 total circulation. The statistics are based on the October 2005 Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation, the U.S. Postal Service form that all periodicals must file annually. The numbers cover average circulation from Oct. 1, 2004, to Sept. 30, 2005. Weekly newspapers recorded the best retention rates. During the reporting period, 184 weeklies reported declines, 135 reported increases and 53 stayed the same. Even though more than half of weeklies lost ground this year, one subgroup made circulation strides. Weeklies with more than 3,000 paid circulation recorded a combined circulation gain of 1,730. The only other subgroup to record an overall increase was semiweeklies over 4,000 circulation, which had a combined gain of 1,701. Among all semiweeklies, 45 papers lost circulation, 15 gained and six stayed the same. The majority of dailies also lost circulation this year — 50 dropped, 29 improved and six stayed the same. Some of the biggest losses were among the state’s top two metro dailies The Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle, which lost 46,110 and 23,998 respectively. Those losses accounted for 58 percent of the total loss among dailies. The other three metros had minimal losses — Fort Worth Star-Telegram (5,606), Austin American-Statesman (1,612) and San Antonio Express-News (592). In 2004, 68 percent of dailies, 61 percent of semiweeklies and 50 percent of weeklies reported circulation declines. |
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