Saturday, May 04, 2013

Oregonian Loses 7.64% of Circulation in the Last Year


Update 2: 2016 circulation news here.
Update: 2013 and 2014 paid circulation numbers here.

The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) figures show a 7.64% loss in Oregonian circulation from March 2012 to March 2013.  Of the nine Oregon newspapers surveyed by AAM, only the Gazette Times of Corvallis (+7.63%) showed a gain in daily circulation in the past year.

Using a shorter six month yardstick, AAM's numbers show four Oregon newspapers with a gain in daily circulation since September 2012:

Gazette Times (Corvallis) - 12.81% (up 1,257 from September 2012)
Statesman Journal (Salem) - 3.39% (up 1,182 from September 2012)
Democrat-Herald (Albany) - 2.46% (up 340 from September 2012)
Oregonian - 0.14% (up 310 from September 2012)

Though the Oregonian saw a tiny 0.14% increase in daily circulation from September 2012 to March 2013, its Sunday circulation fell 1,206 (-0.4%) and Saturday circulation fell 3,942 (-1.83%) in the same period.

Here are the AAM daily circulation statistics for nine Oregon newspapers for the period between March 2012 and March 2013:

                                                03/13        09/12       03/12
Bulletin (Bend) . . . . . . . . . . . . 29,294      31,696      31,796
Courier (Grants Pass) . . . . . . .  12,683      14,380      13,748
Democrat-Herald (Albany) . . . . 14,139      13,799      14,283
Gazette Times (Corvallis) . . . . . 11,072        9,815      10,287
Mail Tribune (Medford) . . . . . .  21,381      21,511      22,292
Oregonian . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  228,909    228,599    247,833
Register-Guard (Eugene) . . . .   50,729      51,040      53,812
Statesman Journal (Salem) . . .  36,073      34,891      39,946
World (Coos Bay-North Bend) .   8,646        8,891        9,537

6 comments:

MAX Redline said...

Interestingly, I was looking at an article about TriMet fare machines in the O yesterday (Internet). It just talked about their notorious unreliability. Somebody mentioned a report that the machines were also sending out a number of cancel or freeze messages to issuing banks when users attempted to pay via credit or debit card; the writer of the article, Joseph Rose, refuted that, claiming that the machines only send out "attempted fraud" messages.

Late last night, KATU ran a story in which TriMet admitted that their machines sent messages to banks which resulted in account access being frozen until such time as the cardholder contacted the banks - and that it happened between 1,000 and 2,000 times every month. And had been going on for at least five years.

Tens of thousands of accounts were affected. TriMet's mouthpiece offered this advice: "We do encourage riders to pick up some tickets while they're at the grocery store; it's really that easy".

Small wonder The Oregonian's losing share.

T. D. said...

First, thanks, Max, for your ongoing reporting of Oregonian reporting failures. I've learned from you about Oregonian reporters regurgitating press releases written by the people they are supposed to be reporting on. This is a true example of Reporter Rose giving out what he got undoubtedly from some TriMet representative he contacted on the subject. Unfortunately neither Rose nor his contact knew that TriMet had already admitted the problem. Heh. Egg on face.

Too often a simple internet search will bring up information Oregonian reporters miss.

Yep. That's why anyone really interested in news doesn't look to the Oregonian.

MAX Redline said...

I just notice discrepancies. It happens a lot with the Zero. They do tend to ignore the bigger issues - like several thousands of folks having account access frozen. I guess it's easy money, but it's not exactly journalism....

T. D. said...

Max, did you see the comment when Joseph Rose wrote: "I'm fairly certain that's not accurate. I think you mean 'fraud alerts' sent to banks versus cancellations."? [http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2013/05/joseph_rose_getting_to_the_unp.html/post/2013-05-04/1367685122-894-942.html]

kenajones responded: "You're a reporter. If you're only fairly certain, find out." [http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2013/05/joseph_rose_getting_to_the_unp.html/post/2013-05-05/1367790225-899-615.html]

The problem in a nutshell.

MAX Redline said...

Missed that, T.D. - made me laugh, though, thanks! Wait until you see what Joey did today - and they wonder why their numbers are dropping. His description of the Tri-Meltdown yesterday has to be cut-and-paste: it's all the fault of the Steel bridge. Riiight.

T. D. said...

Max, for some reason you last comment came to my e-mail but didn't show up here. So, I'm copying it in. If for some reason you want it out, let me know.

"Missed that, T.D. - made me laugh, though, thanks! Wait until you see what Joey did today - and they wonder why their numbers are dropping. His description of the Tri-Meltdown yesterday has to be cut-and-paste: it's all the fault of the Steel bridge. Riiight."

Now my comment: It must be hard to be a lame journalist now with the free comment interaction. The comments on both this article and the previous one you pointed out take Joseph Rose to the woodshed as an incompetent reporter. Rose must be pining for the days when there was only the letters to the editor section with maybe 10 comments on the *whole newspaper* (some of them on the same issue) and none the editor in charge thought unworthy. It was the day of shielding poor reporting.