Reports of the Death of the Newspaper...

by Jonathan Willis on Apr 27, 2009 4:30 PM MDT

..are exaggerated, at least in this area. While U.S. newspapers are in freefall, and the Toronto papers are suffering, there's something different happening in Western Canada, according to a report released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (h/t James Mirtle):

Two major Toronto dailies are showing a decrease in paid circulation for the six months ending March 31, 2009, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations newspaper circulation and audience FAS-FAX report released today. But it's a different picture for major dailies in Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Alberta, which saw their paid circulations actually increase in the same period.

The Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald all saw increases in circulation from 2% and up for the last six month period compared to last year.

This is very good news. While I like to harp on the print media as much as most bloggers, the simple fact of the matter is that for breaking stories and day-to-day work, the beat reporter is irreplaceable. It's particularly nice to see the increase in the Journal's readership; between Jim Matheson, Dan Barnes, Joanne Ireland and blogger David Staples, Oilers fans need the coverage of the team that paper provides.

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I’m not sure the article tells the full story. I have a friend who works at the Edmonton Journal, and his impression is that the recent modest increase in circulation has come almost entirely at the expense of the Sun, following news of Sun Media’s rickety financial future.

Unless circulation as a whole has risen (which that article doesn’t address, and which I find unlikely), what we’re seeing could be more a result of consolidation than and actual trend in circulation growth. It would be nice to be wrong, though.

by krankor on Apr 27, 2009 6:56 PM MDT reply actions

I’m not sure the article tells the full story. I have a friend who works at the Edmonton Journal, and his impression is that the recent modest increase in circulation has come almost entirely at the expense of the Sun, following news of Sun Media’s rickety financial future

It’s probably wrong that I’m none to worried about the future of the Sun.

Unless circulation as a whole has risen (which that article doesn’t address, and which I find unlikely), what we’re seeing could be more a result of consolidation than and actual trend in circulation growth. It would be nice to be wrong, though.

You could very well be right; without seeing the actual report (which I did some looking for but couldn’t find) it’s hard to know for certain. But that comment about seeing circulation increase in B.C. and Alberta is presumably based on the numbers for all of the participating papers in those areas; without further evidence I’m somewhat inclined to be optimistic.

It's only my opinion, but it's right.

Writer for The Copper & Blue, OilersNation, and CanucksArmy.

by Jonathan Willis on Apr 27, 2009 8:19 PM MDT up reply actions

I also don’t know if circulation is the relevant metric when considering the health of fish wraps. Newspaper revenues have been falling for years, particularly the classified ad section. Without new revenue streams/models, modest increases in circulation aren’t going to sustain that business. Sure, traffic is nice and a vital part of the equation, but you have to have a way of efficiently converting it into revenue to stay afloat.

Matchsticks and Gasoline

by Kent Wilson on Apr 28, 2009 1:20 PM MDT reply actions

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