Under pressure from a surfeit of easily read and searched internet news outlets and blind to the realities of modern print, US newspaper titles are losing circulation rapidly. The latest figures from the ABC auditors show a grim story.

The Newspaper Association of America analysed the ABC figures to reveal that for the six-month period ending September, average daily circulation for fell by 2.8 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

At the same time, the association claims that overall readership of newspapers is increasing. This is because they are counting in the readership of newspaper web sites. They claim that an analysis of 100 key titles reveals overall readership including online has risen by 8%.

NAA president John Sturm tells us:

“The circulation figures are in range with what we expected as publishers are re-focusing their marketing efforts on adding and retaining the readers that deliver most value to advertisers and make economic sense. The other important focus is the conversations publishers and advertisers are having about newspapers’ audiences that cover a wider scope than net paid circulation.”

The newspaper industry is clearly in trouble, with many in the business refusing to realise the clear evidence of changes in media habits. Whilst some titles have made great strides in developing online business models, others remain in silos, keeping the online and print editorial teams separate.

Other publishers have sensibly realised that many consumers now expect to read news for free online. This has led to the rise of the free printed newspaper; in many European markets such as Denmark and Spain, the free newspaper heads the circulation tables and has evolved from a derided publication niche to one of authority that commands great respect from its readership.