ABC figures show circulation melting away from regional press

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 04-Mar-05, 11:00

LONDON – Almost all paid-for regional newspapers suffered circulation falls over the second half of 2004, according to the lastest ABC figures, with the Yorkshire Post being among the biggest fallers.

Among the leading dailies, Trinity Mirror's Birmingham Evening Mail slipped 7.7% to 96,143, and the Claverley-owned West Midlands evening title Express & Star fell 4% to 157,783.

In Bristol, Northcliffe Newspapers' morning title Western Daily Press lost 4.8% to 48,097 and its evening title Bristol Evening Post (including Saturday) lost 4.4% to 57,981.

In Leeds, Johnston Press's morning title Yorkshire Post slipped 6% to 57,976 and its Yorkshire Evening Post lost 8.7% to 68,635.

In the North West, Trinity Mirror's Liverpool Echo slipped 4.1% to 129,681, while Guardian Media Group's Manchester Evening News lost 4.3% to 141,737.

In Scotland, Newsquest's Glasgow Evening Times fell 3.7% to 91,613.

The only titles to raise cover prices over the period were the Western Daily Press and Manchester Evening News. The others were all unchanged.

Among the leading weekly titles, the Kent Messenger Group's Kent Messenger series of titles fell by 2.9% to 57,450, and the Northcliffe-owned West Briton series fell by 0.5% to 50,694.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum.