Latest newspaper numbers show big circulation bite

The circulation at The Inquirer and other big regional newspapers fell substantially in the recent six-month reporting period, ending in late March.

The newspapers with the steepest daily circulation declines, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation, were the New York Post (down 20.6 percent), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (down 19.9 percent), and the Newark Star-Ledger (down 16.8 percent).

The daily circulation at the New York Times (down 3.5 percent) and the Washington Post (down 1.2 percent) fell but not as far as that at other big metropolitan dailies.

The ABC said today that average daily circulation declined 7.1 percent in the October-through-March period from the same six-month span in 2007-2008.

Newspapers are feeling the effects of the recession and deeply distressed auto and housing industries, which are primary sources of advertising dollars.

The Inquirer, which is reorganizing in federal bankruptcy court in Philadelphia, shed 13.7 percent of its daily circulation, losing 45,851 copies to 288,298 newspapers. Sunday Inquirer circulation fell 12 percent to 550,400 copies from 625,672.

The Daily News, which also is reorganizing in bankruptcy court, lost 8,164 copies, or 7.6 percent.

The Inquirer and Daily News are owned by Philadelphia Newspapers L.L.C., which also owns Philly.com.