Democrat-Gazette, Morning News Circulation Numbers Slip
by August 10, 2009 12:00 am 61 views
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had an average daily paid circulation of 37,052 for the 12 months ended March 31. That’s for Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties combined, and is down almost 2 percent from the previous year. The paper made about 2 percent in circulation gains from 2007 to 2008, so current numbers are roughly the same as 2007 levels.
(To view the list of the region’s top newspapers by circulation, click here.)
The Morning News had an average daily paid circulation of 31,479 for the same period for its five-county designated market area, down more than 5 percent. Beside the four counties mentioned above, The Morning News’ DMA for the year also included McDonald County in Missouri. However, the paper has since dropped the county, so circulation numbers in 2010 will be slightly skewed.
The numbers compared with the previous year’s numbers are in the Largest Daily Newspapers list on Page 13, which is published annually by the Business Journal.
Circulation for the Sunday edition of both publications was down. The Northwest Arkansas distribution of the AD-G dipped by 251 subscribers, less than 1 percent. TMN’s Sunday paper lost about 2,200 subscribers, or more than 5 percent.
The numbers come from the Audit Bureau of Circulations and are final audited figures.
Circulation numbers for both company’s weekly papers is also included, but numbers are not certified.
Las Vegas-based Stephens Media, which operates The Morning News, previously had three weekly papers in Washington County (The Farmington Post, Lincoln Leader, and Prairie Grove Enterprise) but all were collapsed into one publication, Lincoln Enterprise Leader, in June. Combined, those publications lost 106 subscribers from June 2008 to June 2009.
Wehco Media, which operates the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, also maintains 11 weekly papers in surrounding areas. The company could not provide June-to-June numbers, so the 2009 numbers are from May. The White River Valley News was its worst performer, loosing 23 percent of its paid subscriptions.