D-G circ up, News Dips Daily

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette showed an increase of about 4 percent in Northwest Arkansas circulation for the six months ended Sept. 30, while The Morning News had a slight dip in weekday circulation.

According to the D-G’s publisher’s statement filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the newspaper’s circulation in the four-county area increased by 3.9 percent on weekdays to 31,987 and 4.3 percent on Sundays to 43,800, when compared to the same time period in 2001. Those numbers, however, have yet to be audited.

For the same time period, The Morning News of Springdale had a decrease of 0.8 percent in daily circulation to 36,013 and an increase of 1.8 percent on Sundays to 38,396.

Paul Smith, vice president and general manager of the D-G, said the Morning News numbers include 2,851 subscribers who bought the newspaper at a 75 percent discount — $19 for the entire year.

“Without the 75 percent discount, The Morning News circulation would have decreased by 9 percent daily and 6 percent Sunday,” Smith said. “The thing that is most significant to me is that daily they had a loss. Even with 2,851 discounted orders, they still had a loss.”

“They’re discounting, and we’re discounting,” said Tom Stallbaumer, publisher of The Morning News. “I haven’t had an advertiser call me yet and tell me they didn’t want their ads going to someone who isn’t paying full price [for a newspaper].”

Stallbaumer said The Morning News’ daily circulation was down because “we had a huge spike in September sales,” referring to 2001 when the newspaper published an extra edition about the terrorism that month. The extra was counted as paid circulation, he said.

“They’re comparing to a down statement,” he said. “We’re comparing to a statement that’s showing growth.”

Stallbaumer said he’s waiting on the audited circulation figures for the 12 months that ended March 31.

“The six-month audits we use just to gauge a trend,” he said.