The slumping Daily News saw its total circulation fall almost 4 percent to 708,477 from 735,536 between October and March, according to new data released yesterday.
While the News’ readership has been plumetting for several years, advertisers are now joining the exodus as it lost 1,256 total ad pages over the six-month reporting period, an 11 percent plunge compared with last year, according to figures from ad tracker TNS Media Intelligence.
The News’ individual paid circulation – copies sold on the newsstand and to home-delivery subscribers – fell 6 percent, to 615,890 from 653,070 last year, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations’ stats.
The Post’s individual paid circulation rose 2 percent to 644,029 from 632,408 in the same period last year.
The Post’s total circulation dipped 0.7 percent to 673,377.
Bulk sales of the News – papers given away to schools and on the street – skyrocketed to nearly 93,000 papers a day, a 12 percent increase compared to last year, and roughly 13 percent of its total circulation.
Pros who place ads in newspapers “tend to look down on bulk,” said Peter Gardiner, partner and chief media officer at New York ad agency Deutsch Inc.
“We’ve certainly observed that ‘other paid’ in excess of 10 percent of the total is on the very high side,” said Bob Shamberg, chief executive of Newspaper Services of America, which purchases newspaper ads and inserts on behalf of its advertising clients.
The News’ ad pages fell 14 percent in crucial car and retail categories last year, while The Post picked up 16 percent and 15 percent in those areas.
The Post’s year-over-year increase in ad pages was 448.
The period in the latest ABC report covers a stretch in which Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman once again switched top editors, bouncing Michael Cooke in early December after less than a year on the job and forcing editorial director Martin Dunn back into the job.
The Post’s bulk copies fell 36 percent, to 29,348 copies, with these sales accounting for about 4.3 percent of total paid circulation.
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Big slump
The Daily News is losing readers and now even more advertisers
Year-to-year change to March ’06
Circulation* -6%
Total ads** -11%
Car ads -14%
Retail ads -14%
* Total average individually paid circulation
** Column inches
Sources: Audit Bureau of Circulations, TNS Media Intelligence