Circulation Trends

Trends Foucs on Better Service

Circulation departments are working hard to better serve readers by delivering newspapers earlier, making it easier to purchase single copies and implementing new systems to reach a service representative, according to 2001 Circulation Facts, Figures and Logic, the Newspaper Association of America’s (NAA) biennial survey of circulation trends.

Newspapers are offering more delivery and payment options to customers and working with limited resources as home-delivery prices have increased only 2.2 percent a year for the past four years.

Among the results of the 2001 study:

· The median price for daily and Sunday single copies peaked at 50 cents and $1.50 respectively. The median price of a seven-day subscription is $3.

· The target for morning-delivery time has become 6 a.m., guaranteed by more than 60 percent of morning newspapers. More papers are moving to 5:30 a.m. delivery. Sunday delivery time is 7 a.m.

· Single copy sales have grown to 19.1 percent of daily sales, up from 15.7 percent two years ago. On Sunday, single copies represent 27 percent of sales.

· Newspapers are offering improved zoning capabilities for advertisers; 84 percent said they have the ability to zone preprints to the ZIP code level.

· The increased use of distribution centers contributed to the shift away from youth carriers. Adults now make up 65 percent of the carrier force, up from just over half (51.1 percent) four years ago.

· Newspapers are working harder to gain and keep subscribers, with about half of respondents reporting a department dedicated to subscriber retention.

· Technology has helped newspapers not only internally – billing operations, route management – but also for customers, with more newspapers implementing voice-response-units to handle calls and more sophisticated billing options.

The report is based on data from 625 newspapers of all circulation sizes. The 2001 report includes more detailed circulation-size breakouts of data. For information contact NAA at (703) 902-1600 or go to www.naa.org.