Newspaper Circulation Plunges in Major US Markets

“Circulation at the nation’s largest newspapers plunged over the last six months, according to figures released today. The decline, one of the steepest on record, adds to the woes of a mature industry beset by layoffs and the possible sale of some of its flagships.

“Overall, average daily circulation for 770 newspapers was 2.8 percent lower in the six-month period ending Sept. 30 than in the comparable period last year, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported. Circulation for 619 Sunday papers fell by 3.4 percent.

“But some papers fared much worse. The Los Angeles Times lost 8 percent of its daily circulation, and 6 percent on Sunday. The Boston Globe, owned by The New York Times Company, lost 6.7 percent of its daily circulation and almost 10 percent on Sunday.

TheStateOf . . . Newspapers. I (J) still get the LA Times delivered, and I get the Washington Post and the NY Times via email. The Opinion and Editorial pages of the newspapers have now been made irrelevant. The availability of the internet makes it clear that the newspaper is the opinion of just one asshole-so why bother giving it so much weight? Still, I love reading the paper with a cup of coffee on a Sunday mornin’.