Newspapers continue to lose readers

U.S. newspapers continue to lose readers, but digital subscription growth is muddling the task of counting circulation, says industry circulation tracker Alliance for Audited Media in its latest six-month report.

Average daily circulation slipped 0.7% for the six months ending March 31 vs. the period a year ago for the 593 U.S. newspapers reporting comparable averages for print and digital subscriptions, says AAM. Sunday circulation for the 519 newspapers reporting comparable data was down 1.4%. The report is issued every six months and is widely accepted as the standard for the newspaper industry.

Four of the 10 largest newspapers in average circulation — USA TODAY, New York Daily News, New York Post and The Washington Post — reported declines.

The 7.9% decline at USA TODAY — to 1.67 million — allowed it to be overtaken as the second-largest newspaper by TheNew York Times, which reported a 17.6% increase to 1.87 million.

The nation's largest newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, also reported a circulation increase — 12.3% to 2.38 million.

[Source: USA TODAY)