Morning News Daily Circ Drops 14 Percent
by February 27, 2006 12:00 am 63 views
The two major daily newspapers in Northwest Arkansas saw circulation decline on both Sundays and weekdays for the six months ended Sept. 30, according to unaudited numbers filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
The Morning News of Springdale posted the biggest drop with a 14.5 percent decline in average circulation for Monday through Saturday. The Morning News’ decrease followed a 10 percent drop in daily circulation for the previous six-month period, which ended March 31. (Since the numbers are comparisons of different six-month periods, the decline for the 12 months ended Sept. 30 would likely be somewhere between 10 percent and 14.5 percent.)
The Morning News also posted a 9.2 percent drop in Sunday circulation for the six months ended Sept. 30.
Stephen Kelsey, who was hired in August as regional circulation director for The Morning News, said part of that decline was a “strategic decision” by the newspaper to convert some 7,300 subscribers who were paying less than 50 percent of the regular rate to paying at least half price. So far, he said, about 3,000 Sunday readers and 1,000 weekday subscribers had been bumped up to paying at least 50 percent. The newspaper’s annual subscription rate is $95.
Kelsey said the strategy should increase net income for the newspaper.
“We’ll go through this little trough,” Kelsey said, “but by next September, we’ll be happy people.”
For the same six months, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had a decrease of 1 percent in daily circulation and 2.2 percent on Sundays.
Although the D-G’s Northwest Arkansas edition is distributed to 12 counties, the numbers above are for circulation in Washington, Benton, Madison and Carroll counties only.
Those four counties compare with The Morning News’ entire circulation, but in addition to those four, The Morning News added two counties in Missouri — McDonald and Barry — to its designated market area.
Hector Cueva, circulation director for the D-G, said that newspaper subtracted sales in West Siloam Springs, Okla., this time after The Morning News had complained that the Oklahoma circulation was outside the D-G’s designated market.
Click here to see a chart of newspaper circulation.