Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Anchorage Daily News Sees Continuing Circulation Decline Despite Better Numbers in the Industry

The Anchorage Daily News saw a continuing decline it its daily circulation (-4.51%) and its Sunday edition (-5.68%) from a year ago. Audit Bureau of Circulations notes that in the same period there was a 0.68% average circulation gain for other daily newspapers and a 5% gain in Sunday circulation.
“Fueled largely by increases in digital circulation and branded editions, daily circulation for the 618 newspapers reporting comparable multiday averages rose .68 percent. Circulation for the 532 newspapers reporting comparable Sunday data increased 5 percent.”
This means that in the last year the Anchorage Daily News lost 5% more in its daily circulation than the average newspaper and a whopping 10% more in its Sunday circulation.

Over four years the Anchorage Daily News has lost about a third of its circulation (-31.72% daily; -33.98% Sunday).

Coincidentally at the beginning of this same four year period the Anchorage Daily News began running mostly negative articles on then Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and has continued the pattern. (Previously there had been some quite positive articles.)

Anchorage Daily News circulation numbers:
. . . . . . . . . . . . .daily . . . .Sunday
March 2008 . . 64,042 . . 71,233
March 2009 . . 58,468 . . 63,160
March 2010 . . 49,019 . . 53,764
March 2011 . . 45,791 . . 49,859
March 2012 . . 43,725 . . 47,029

5 comments:

Gordon R. Durand said...

Coincidentally.

T. D. said...

Just for comparison, it has taken the Oregonian 12 years to make the 30+% slide the Anchorage Daily News has taken in only 4 years.

Also, Gordon, let me take the opportunity to say how much I enjoy your posts on politics, society in general, music and your family.

MAX Redline said...

It's amazing what they can accomplish when they put their minds to it.

Personally, I expect numbers for The Zero to uptick as Cascade Policy Institute's Steve Buckstein takes up the editorial reins. That'll bring a much needed libertarian/conservative perspective into their mix.

MAX Redline said...

Correction: Buckstein was the hot rumor, but The Zero has announced that they're going with Erik Lukens, city editor of The Bulletin in Bend, instead.

T. D. said...

Max, you know all this stuff! Thanks for letting me in on it.