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circulation

Circulation falls at most of region's top newspapers

Daily circulation at leading newspapers in Oregon and Southwest Washington fell an average of 6 percent between the six months ending in March and the six months ending in September of this year. A report compiled by the Audit Bureau of Circulations reflects a confluence of factors, including increased newspaper prices, decreased distribution and an ongoing shift toward online news. One notable exception is The Bulletin in Bend, which saw its circulation increase. We'll have an analysis of these numbers later. OMC does not have complete figures for the year-ago period. If someone else does, please contact us.

Title Days 10/08-3/09 Circ 4/09-9/09 Circ % Change
The Oregonian
(Portland)
Mon-Fri 268,512 249,163 -7.2
Sat 265,176 251,975 -5.0
Sun 325,816 303,412 -6.9
The Register-Guard
(Eugene)
Mon-Fri 64,940 61,865 -4.7
Sat 68,808 66,496 -3.4
Sun 67,169 64,979 -3.3
Statesman Journal
(Salem)
Mon-Fri 42,622 39,226 -8.0
Sat No Data 41,082 ---
Sun 49,355 46,932 -4.9
The Columbian
(Vancouver)
Mon-Sat 39,755 36,347 -8.6
Sun 45,916 42,987 -6.4
The Bulletin
(Bend)
Mon-Fri 32,682 32,946 0.8
Sat 33,087 33,798 2.1
Sun 32,543 32,899 1.1
Mail Tribune
(Medford)
Mon-Fri 28,116 25,718 -8.5
Sat 27,263 25,916 -4.9
Sun 29,135 27,600 -5.3
The Daily News
(Longview)
Mon-Sat 20,179 No Data ---
Sun 20,532 No Data ---
Albany Democrat-Herald Mon-Sat 16,932 No Data ---
Sun 17,693 No Data ---
Grants Pass Daily Courier Mon-Sat 15,433 No Data ---
Gazette-Times
(Corvallis)
Mon-Sat 12,211 No Data ---
Sun 12,158 No Data ---
The World
(Coos Bay)
Mon-Fri 11,246 No Data ---
Sat 12,329 No Data ---
East Oregonian
(Pendleton)
Tue-Sat No Data 7,868 ---
Sun No Data 8,073 ---

Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations FAS-FAX Reports - 3/31/2009, 9/30/2009

UPDATE (11/2, 2:16): Corrected The Register-Guard's current Sunday circulation.

Oregonian circulation falls 12 percent from last year

The OregonianThe Oregonian's circulation is down 12 percent from last year, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations figures published today. The paper sold an average of 249,163 copies of its Monday through Friday editions in the six months ending in September. That compares to 283,321 copies in the same period last year.

The numbers may result not only from reduced interest in print editions, but also from a price hike on single-copy sales in July. In the Portland Metro area, The Oregonian's newsstand price increased from 75 cents to $1.00. That increase is part of a national trend among papers to try to boost revenue from newspaper sales as ad sales slump.

The average US newspaper saw a 10 percent circulation decline. Reduced distribution and fewer editions are other factors that can negatively affect newspaper sales. But circulation does not reflect the number of readers per copy, online readership or the level of reader engagement with a paper.

We'll have numbers for additional Oregon publications when the full report is made public, and when the Audit Bureau website comes back online after failing this morning.