BULK FICTION

A closer look at the latest circulation figures from the New York Daily News reveals the paper’s overreliance on bulk sales is propping up a single-copy sales disaster.

According to the latest numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the Mort Zuckerman-owned Daily News reported that its paid circulation for the six months ended March 31 was 718,174 in the Monday-to-Friday period, a slight increase from a year ago.

However, the News’ numbers include a significant amount of “bulk circulation” – some 143,652 copies per day, or 20 percent of total circulation, which is masking an accelerating free fall in single-copy sales.

Excluding bulk sales, the News’ single-copy circulation tumbled 6.7 percent to 574,522 in the most recent six month period, a loss of 41,448 copies.

Bulk circulation, also known as third-party circulation, includes newspapers that go into schools as part of the Newspapers in Education program, and copies handed out to consumers for free.

Under the ABC’s guidelines, as long as a third party, often an advertiser, has paid for the issues, the audit bureau considers the copies as “paid.”

While bulk sales can help circulation numbers look good at first glance, advertisers are growing leery of the practice.

“The big blue chip advertisers discount bulk circulation big time,” said Steve Farella, president and CEO of TargetCast TCM, which buys media for advertisers.

All New York City newspapers have used bulk circulation to some extent. The New York Times, which had a paid circulation of 1,120,420 for the six months ended March 31, had 183,827 bulk or third-party copies on its statement, constituting 16.4 percent of its total.

The Post, which experienced a 7.6 percent jump in paid circulation to 724,746 in the latest six-month period, had bulk or third-party copies of 67,471 in the same period, representing 9.3 percent of its total and the lowest among the city’s big three dailies.

Excluding bulk, The Post’s individually paid circulation rose 13,247, or 2 percent, to 657,277.

The Daily News’ increased use of bulk sales stands in stark contrast to its use of the practice six years ago, when The News had a big lead over The Post in paid circulation. Back then, the News sold 686,039 individual paid copies, and handed out 30,056 copies a day of bulk circulation.