Paid-for newspapers circulation takes a dive
LATEST audited figures released by the UK-based Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) puts the Limerick Post in lead position having the highest circulation amongst the regions local newspapers.
During a period when a substantial number of newspapers and particularly the paid-for newspapers are suffering uncomfortable declines in readership, circulation and advertising sales,
the Limerick Post has again shown its strength by being the region’s biggest and most widely circulated local newspaper.
ABC publishes its reports twice annually to monitor the accurate levels of newspaper circulation in both paid-for and free newspaper markets. Its circulation figures are the recognised gauge of factual newspaper circulation statistics.
The report comes at a time of plummeting circulation in the sales of paid-for local newspapers. Countless local newspapers are experiencing falls of nearly 20 per cent in readership over the past two years.
This tied with advertising sales figures in paid-for newspapers in free fall, as traditional newspapers like the Limerick Leader are being forced into massive restructuring which only recently led to the Limerick Leader transferring 19 jobs to the North of Ireland in a bid to survive.
ABC also publishes the accepted sales and readership figures for all of the top national and international newspapers in Ireland and the UK.
The Limerick Post total certified door-to-door circulation increased by a massive 1,620 a week to 16,693, plus it’s bulk circulation of 32,315 makes the Limerick Post the runaway leader in the race to be Limerick’s most read newspaper.
Circulation figures for the Limerick Leader fell again to just 19,034 while figures for The Limerick Chronicle have not been reported for this period.
The Limerick Independent has also failed to report bulk circulation figures for the second consecutive six-month period.
Industry sources say that failure to report figures by newspapers that had previously done so is an indication of an even more dramatic fall in circulation than was earlier feared.
Many newspapers have opted not to be certified by ABC, as they endeavour to conceal plummeting sales and circulation figures in a time of exceptional crisis for the media industry.
The trend of decreasing circulation has intensified; with some papers no longer reporting figures, much evident in the latest results from ABC for Ireland’s local paid for newspapers.
Industry sources are placing this failure to report figures down to the spectacular fall-off in circulation for many local paid-for newspapers throughout the country.
The latest report from ABC, covering the period January to June 2009, confirms the alarming rate of decline for many local papers.
However, the latest ABC figures show that the paid-for newspaper market in Ireland is suffering major losses in newspaper sales, advertising sales and more importantly readership.
Many newspapers around the country are planning or have already implemented layoffs, wage cuts and working hour reductions in a bid to survive. Media owners are now trying to reduce staff numbers to sustainable levels.
Previous loyal readers of the paid-for newspapers are reluctant to pay prices in excess of g2 for their weekly newspaper when there is so much free news available through free newspapers and local radio.
Owned by the media industry, ABC independently verifies and reports on media performance, providing a major trading currency for media buyers and owners across print, events, digital and evolving platforms.
To checkout the latest newspaper figures online go to www.abc.org.uk.
