Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) reports show that in the last six months the Oregonian had the worst drop in circulation rate among top Oregon newspapers.
Seven of the nine Oregon newspapers listed by ABC saw losses significantly less than the Oregonian’s or actually gained in circulation. Of the two newspapers posting gains, the Corvallis Gazette-Times had better than a mirror image rate gain: 5.25% gain compared to the Oregonian’s 5.23% loss.
The obvious question: Why is the Oregonian losing circulation at a rate significantly higher than other Oregon newspapers?
Circulation changes September 2008 to March 2009:
daily circulation change
+5.65% Gazette-Times (Corvallis) 11,559 to 12,211
+1.77% Democrat-Herald (Albany) 16,638 to 16,932
-0.67% Register-Guard (Eugene) 65,375 to 64,940
-0.82% Bulletin (Bend) 32,951 to 32,682
-1.58% Courier (Grants Pass) 15,680 to 15,433
-2.23% World (Coos Bay-North Bend) 11,502 to 11,246
-2.66% Mail Tribune (Medford) 28,884 to 28,116
-4.46% Statesman Journal (Salem) 44,614 to 42,633
-5.23% Oregonian (Portland) 283,321 to 268,512
Sunday circulation change
+3.14% Gazette-Times (Corvallis) 11,788 to 12,158
+0.61% Democrat-Herald (Albany) 17,586 to 17,693
-2.08% World (Coos Bay-North Bend) 12,591 to 12,329
-2.34% Bulletin (Bend) 33,322 to 32,543
-2.34% Register-Guard (Eugene) 68,780 to 57,169
-2.35% Statesman Journal (Salem) 50,545 to 49,355
-3.03% Mail Tribune (Medford) 30,046 to 29,135
-5.55% Oregonian (Portland) 344,950 to 325,816
