ABCs: Newspaper sales decline continues
The circulation bloodbath for Australia’s biggest newspapers has continued, although their rate of decline may have slowed fractionally.
Although the West Australian was the only metro or national newspaper to see any sort of rise, the biggest fall in circulation – by News Ltd’s Sunday Mail in Queensland – was below 7%.
Although this is similar to the falls in the last set of newspaper numbers three months ago, it is not as bad as the numbers six months ago when Fairfax’s Australian Financial Review lost about 10% of its sales.
However, the AFR was still the worst-performing weekday paper, losing nearly 6% of its sales.
Newspaper Works boss Tony Hale said: “The circulation results are in line with our expectations given the tough retail environment. It has impacted us just like it has impacted other paid media, but the five year trend remains relatively stable.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Got to love the way the big publishers – both newspapers and magazines – tie themselves in verbal knots explaining how their circ figures, even though they head steadily southwards audit after audit are actually really really good. The Australian and SMH, if you can be bothered reading their self-interested spin doctoring today, are hilarious examples. It seems they never have a bad audit – but the others guys always do. You can do anything with numbers – as these bastions of truth and honesty prove so every time.
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AFR slumps again – yet according to their media kit readership continues to rise and the number of c-suite execs reached grows. Do any media buyers actually read this stuff? Or ask questions?
Interesting that if you take total number of readers by Roy Morgan and multiply by average income you get a figure that is billions less than if you multiply c-suite number by their average income. Means that the non execs actually have negative income. Just rubbish – something is obviously wrong – but advertisers just keep getting suckered
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The publishers are not as bad as the Newspaper Works who manage to live in a world where there is no such thing as a circulation decline in newspapers even when numbers are down
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Don’t worry, fairfax investors. Roger The Shelf Stacker has his Bain report to guide the outfit’s resurgence. Who better to ask about publishing than a clipboard cowboy.
Meanwhile, SMH’s Peter Fray is taking steps to encourage editorial staffers to channel their own, inner David Marrs (seriously, read his address the other day, linked at right).
Yep, all that’ll work.
During the consumption of adult beverages the other, a Fairfax veteran observed that his employer really does have the strength of its convictions: “They’re determined to reduce our carbon footprint by putting us out of business.”
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Hhhhm. I wonder if anyone can guess where Bold Type works?
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mostly under the bonnet of my favourite cars these days, Carrob. Many years since I cashed a cheque from any of our local Lord Coppers.
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@BoldType lol. Sounds like a good life! Did you know that Fairfax is (apparently) the most shorted stock on the ASX?
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Time someone tapped the AFR’s Glen Burge on the shoulder.
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Well done to The West Australian! you have worked very hard with agents and distribution, efforts well rewarded.
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