Friday, October 30, 2009

Circulation plunge at McClatchy newspapers in South Carolina...

Figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations show McClatchy's South Carolina newspapers took a major circulation hit over the past six months -- three of McClatchy's five daily SC papers showed larger circulation losses than the 10.6% national average. Here are the M-F circulation numbers:

The State (Columbia)
daily 3/31/09: 96,759
daily 9/30/09: 83,923
total loss in past 6 months: 12,836 (-13.3%)


The Herald (Rock Hill)
daily 3/31/09: 26,913
daily 9/30/09: 24,147
total loss in past 6 months: 2,766 (-10.3%)


The Sun News (Myrtle Beach)
daily 3/31/09: 47,282
daily 9/30/09: 41,742
total loss in past 6 months: 5,540 (-11.7%)


The Island Packet (Bluffton)
daily 3/31/09: 19,016
daily 9/30/09: 17,545
total loss in past 6 months: 1,471 (-7.7%)


Beaufort Gazette (Beaufort)
daily 3/31/09: 12,105
daily 9/30/09: 10,646
total loss in past 6 months: 1,459 (-12.1%)


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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Any updates on the circulation figures for the Bradenton Herald?

Kevin Gregory said...

10:01 I'll post the Bradenton Herald's numbers this afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Newspaper folks need to ask themselves: Would I personally buy this paper? If they were truthful with their answer, they'd know they wouldn't. And if they wouldn't buy it, what makes them think anyone else wants it?

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:43 I agree. But some do doubt what is so blatantly obvious.


Sac Bee's news boss Melanie Sill admits blatant bias in editorial today:

"There's no dispute that The Bee has a liberal editorial page on most issues, though not all matters, and has mostly endorsed Democrats.

We won't change our editorial philosophy to placate critics."

Anonymous said...

KC Star bidding on printing the Wall Street Journal.... doing test runs now.

Guess you forgot the good news. The KC Star will be printing many years to come and making money. Sorry folks.

T. D. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Anon 1:08 So let me get this straight.

McClatchy realizes no one wants their biased news. So in order to not go bankrupt right now, they print someone else’s news?

All the while, also printing their newspaper no one wants?

What shrewd business people McClatchy has!

Anonymous said...

With plunging circulation, plunging advertising dollars, and Kansas City having to smartly print the Wall Street Journal to assist in making ends meet (see anon 1:08's comment on McClatchy business prowess), I wonder how McClatchy’s going to pay back the Two (2) Billion they borrowed for their acquisition?

Anonymous said...

McClatchy is digging their own grave. Instead of offering a decent paper with some actual pages in it, they cut the page count so bad no one thinks it's worth it any more.

No more special sections. They get a single page some where in the paper.

No More tv book, you have to pay extra to get that now.

People think they are missing part of their paper it's so thin.

Anonymous said...

McClatchy realizes no one wants their biased news. So in order to not go bankrupt right now, they print someone else’s news?




No, No, No...They just want to print someone else's paper. There is a little problem with the competition who just happen to have been printing it for many years already.

The only way the Star can get that contract is if they bid it so low that they lose money on the proposition.

The more likely end result would be if the Journal could get them to under bid it so much that it could be used as a back door way to force a fire sale and pick up the green albatross on the cheap.

Anonymous said...

LET'S REVIEW TO SEE JUST HOW STUPID McCLATCHY IS:

The Print Dept Says:

KC Star bidding on printing the Wall Street Journal.... doing test runs now. Guess you forgot the good news. The KC Star will be printing many years to come and making money. Sorry folks.


The Critic Says:

So let me get this straight. McClatchy realizes no one wants their biased news. So in order to not go bankrupt right now, they print someone else’s news? All the while, also printing their newspaper no one wants? What shrewd business people McClatchy has!

The Strategist Says:

No, No, No...They just want to print someone else's paper. There is a little problem with the competition who just happen to have been printing it for many years already.

The only way the Star can get that contract is if they bid it so low that they lose money on the proposition.

The more likely end result would be if the Journal could get them to under bid it so much that it could be used as a back door way to force a fire sale and pick up the green albatross on the cheap.

JayFred said...

Unbelievable losses at SC papers. What a disaster. The Sun News in Myrtle Beach is in a fast growing area (at one time anyway) and had a daily circulation nearing 66,000 in 2006. What a meltdown!

Anonymous said...

The Sun News in Myrtle Beach has cut writers so much that they can no longer provide quality coverage. In addition, the size of the paper has decreased and the rate has gone from 50 cents daily to 75 cents daily. After buying the paper everyday for 20 years, I'm done with it. I WILL however continue to pay for the NMB Times, a paper that provides a different set of information.

Anonymous said...

The papers are always late now to since they started printing and inserting in Charleston. What a mistake that was.

Another McClatchy Blunder