Newspaper Circulation Slides (Again)

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It’s not just advertisers that are abandoning the print version of newspapers, it’s consumers too. Circulation dropped by almost two million for the 6 month period ending in September of 2008 as compared to the same in 2007.

WSJ: Average weekday circulation was 38,165,848 in the six-months ending in September, a 4.6% decline from 40,022,356 a year earlier at the 507 papers that reported circulation totals in both periods.

The drop was only 2.6% in the September 2007 period, compared with September 2006. In the six-month period that ended in March 2008, the decline was 3.6% over a year earlier, according to circulation figures that newspapers submitted to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Sunday circulation fell even more, 4.8%, to 43,631,646 in the latest period at the 571 papers with comparable totals. The drop was 3.5% a year ago and 4.6% in the period ending in March.

While I know a few people that still read newspapers, I find it hard to believe that this economic downturn won’t increase the speed with which people cease to purchase newspapers. Why pay for something that is essentially free? This decline will undoubtedly soar in the coming months. Perhaps in anticipation, the LA Times is cutting 75 employees or 10% of its editorial staff. (Just like the Star-Ledger.)

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