The Newspaper Association of America has analyzed the latest newspaper circulation figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, and the results are not good for the industry overall or for the local Hearst daily:
Newspaper circulation fell 2.5 percent in the six-month period ending in March, according to data released Monday, as the industry continued to struggle with competition from other media outlets and the Internet.
The decline in average paid weekday circulation was about the same as the previous time newspapers reported six-month circulation figures for the period ending last September, according to the Newspaper Association of America, a trade group.
The Houston Chronicle‘s circulation declined by 3.6%, according to the AP. HPD estimates that Houston’s population has grown by 138,000 since 2005, but perhaps not many new Houstonians are big newspaper readers.
The news could be much worse. The Hearst daily in San Francisco suffered a circulation decline of 15.6%.
It will be interesting to see how publisher Jack Sweeney spins the latest numbers when the Chronicle posts a local story later.
