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Figures are in this morning for newspaper circulation nationwide, and the numbers reflect the downward trend symptomatic of a changing media landscape. Here in Los Angeles, the Times' circulation for a six-month period ending September 30th, "was at 657,467 for the Monday-Friday run," notes LA Observed, which shows an 11.05% drop from the same period for 2008.
Nationally, data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations indicate that our newspapers' "average daily circulation dropped 10.6 percent in the April-September period from the same six-month span," last year, which translates to a 10.6% overall decline, reports abc7. "Newspaper sales have been declining since the early 1990s, but the drop has accelerated in recent years. Circulation revenue has largely held up, though, because of price increases."
The decrease can be attributed to the massive sea change in the manner in which news is reported, disseminated, and retrieved by consumers, with an ever-increasing growth in news and information shared via internet outlets, whether they be the websites of newspapers themselves or what's considered "new media." Los Angeles, however, did not see the most drastic dive in paper circulation; that honor belongs to San Francisco, where their Chronicle saw an over 25% drop from last year.