The Oakland Press of Mich. 1 of nation’s top newspaper circulation gainers in tough industry
By Jeff Karoub, APMonday, October 26, 2009
Oakland Press among top circulation gainers
DETROIT — A Michigan newspaper whose parent company recently emerged from bankruptcy reorganization is one of the top circulation gainers in an industry seeing broad declines locally and nationally.
Figures released Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations show The Oakland Press of Pontiac saw its average daily circulation increase 7.26 percent to 68,067. It was the third highest increase of all U.S. newspapers with a paid circulation of more than 50,000.
Overall, the report finds that average daily circulation dropped 10.6 percent in the April-September period from the same six-month span in 2008.
Journal Register Co., publisher of The Oakland Press and other newspapers, emerged from bankruptcy protection in August and secured new financing six months after making its Chapter 11 filing.
Messages were left Monday for Oakland Press Circulation Director John Lazzeri.
The average daily circulation of the Detroit Free Press, which reduced its home delivery to three days a week earlier this year, declined 9.6 percent to 269,729. Its Sunday circulation fell 7.5 percent to 560,188.
Circulation for The Detroit News, which dropped its home delivery to two days, dropped 5.9 percent to 167,849.
The results are the first published since the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News launched their plan March 30 to reduce home delivery and increase electronic offerings. The idea was to cut printing and distribution costs while retaining full service on the days most popular with print advertisers.
A message was left Monday afternoon for Rich Harshbarger, vice president of consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership. The partnership oversees the business operations of Detroit’s daily newspapers.
Harshbarger said in a Free Press story published Saturday that the figures show the new delivery model is working, with losses lower than the industry average. Jonathan Wolman, editor and publisher of the News, said in a story his paper published Saturday that “the retention of print customers was very good and says a lot for the Detroit market’s appetite for news.”
Both Detroit dailies reported slight circulation increases for their Thursday and Friday editions.
