Free Fall at Newspapers
October 30th, 2006 by Dan GillmorAP: Daily Circulation Falls at U.S. Papers. Circulation declines accelerated at major U.S. newspapers for the six-month period ending in September, according to figures released Monday, in the latest sign of struggle for an industry that is continually grappling with changing reader habits.
This news is not just bad. It’s the grimmest yet.
We’re seeing a not-so-slow-motion undermining of a business that has been central to the functioning of our republic in recent decades. Newspapers are flawed, sometimes terrible and venal. But when they do their jobs they are essential.
What will replace them if — when? — they go down entirely?
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October 31st, 2006 at 1:57 am
But:
In a written statement, Times publisher David D. Hiller said his paper was focusing on “individually paid circulation,” or full-price circulation. In that respect, the Times’s circulation was up one-third of 1 percent over the past six months, yesterday’s data showed.