Circulation Declines At Major Dailies

Weekday circulation fell in the latest six-month period at seven of the nation’s 10 biggest daily newspapers, and experts said newsprint price increases were a key reason.

They said the soaring cost has driven newspapers to raise prices and cut distribution to marginal markets.

Of the 10 biggest metropolitan newspapers, only the Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News posted weekday gains in Monday-through-Friday circulation for the six months that ended Sept. 30, according to numbers released Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

The declines among metro dailies included 8.5 percent at Newsday, the Long Island, N.Y.-based paper that closed its New York Newsday affiliate during the period; 4.7 percent at the Los Angeles Times; and 4 percent at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Other declines were 2.9 percent at The New York Times, 2.1 percent at The Washington Post, 2.0 percent at the Daily News in New York and 1.5 percent at The Boston Globe.