Newspaper Circulation
June 23rd, 2006I recently wrote about writers that I like, and mentioned two good ones, James Stewart, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, and Tom Friedman, of the New York Times. Both are well-deserved Pulitzer Prize winners (3 for Mr. Friedman).
Because of my love for the WSJ, and reading, and professional development in general, I have been reading with dismay over the years of the decline of newspaper circulation. (And the declines in readership are even bigger, insofar as papers are propping up their numbers now, proxies though they may be). I recommend all managers read the Journal, as well as a local paper, or a significant nationally-recognized major daily, such as the Times or the Post.
I came across something recently, though, that took me aback. It was a ranking of the top three dailies in the country, by circulation. I was stunned by the relative circulation numbers. Maybe everybody else knew this, but I surely was WRONG in my assumption.
Without referring to any reference (honor system, please), can anyone tell me which are the top three daily papers in the U.S., by circulation, and give a rough estimate of circulation?
I’ll post the answer soon.
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June 23rd, 2006 at 3:33 pm
That is a good question, and I can only make an educated guess that they are WSJ (~2M), New York Times (~1.5M), and the Washington Post (~1M).
Now having said that, I would take a further educated guess that the LA Times, USA Today, and Chicago Tribune have a place in the top 10.
Regarding your first point, I’m also an avid reader of the WSJ. And when I’m not traveling for work (which is typically 80-90% of the time), I enjoy a good cup of coffee and breakfast with the WSJ in hand. But when I do travel, WSJ.com is the first page that is opened (even before email) in the morning. Which leads me to a question on circulation numbers. Do those numbers represent online access to news sites, or hits? It could simply be my perception, but it feels like more and more people get their news and information online instead of newsprint.
June 23rd, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Seems to me the New York Daily News has more readers than the NYTimes. I’ll say:
1. New York Daily News
2. New York Times
3. USA Today (but how much of that is giveaways at hotels.)
June 25th, 2006 at 9:17 am
1. USA Today (Arlington, Va.) 2,528,437
2. Wall Street Journal (New York, N.Y.) 2,058,342
3. Times (New York, N.Y.) 1,683,855
From http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0004420.html
June 26th, 2006 at 3:19 am
Bruce-
Shame on you! Whatever happened to the honor system?
Want to write my follow up? What’s the surprise for me in these numbers?
Mark
June 26th, 2006 at 7:22 am
[Red face mode on]. This is what happens when you skim read. Thought you were looking for the stats. Maybe a podcast on how to read rather than what to read is needed for me
June 26th, 2006 at 10:02 am
Honor system — I was going to guess USA Today 1st (and I did not have an answer for 1 and 2)
I would guess that you would think USA today was a tabloid-esque publication. Not as thoughtful and scholarly. However what they do really well, is to get to the essence of a story. I read USA Today occasionally for their Monday Financial section wich I find valuable. Their product is also positioned to be read by the entire country, vs the New York Times, which is of course written for New Yorker’s and people who appreciate tradional well written journalism, and the WSJ, which is positioned to the Business world.
USAToday - Written for the ADD generation. Bright, Colorful, Short, Smart.
BTW, I religiously listen to two podcasts; yours, and Jim Cramer’s daily “Real Money”. I have found your podcasts to be powerful and valuable in the running of my small business. Thank you both for working so hard.
(and Mark why are you posting at 3:19 am)
Mike
June 27th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Bruce-
No worries! I hope I didn’t sound mad. It was more like amused chiding.
Mark
June 27th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Mike-
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you’re getting value from the show.
The clock on the server is messed up. I posted that around 11:45 pm, honest. And if you don’t want me posting THEN…
))
Mark