U.S. newspaper circulation still shrinking

Sales of the country's largest newspapers continue to decline, with daily circulation falling 10.6 percent in the six months ended Sept. 30 compared with the same period a year ago.

Sunday circulation, the more profitable and widely distributed issue, fell 7.5 percent, according to figures released Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

The Minneapolis-based Star Tribune saw Sunday circulation fall 8.3 percent, to 477,562, making it the 10th- largest Sunday newspaper in the country. Weekday sales dropped 5.5 percent, to 304,543, which ranked 14th nationwide.

The St. Paul-based Pioneer Press recorded a slight 0.1 percent gain both in Sunday circulation (246,680) and daily (185,220) papers. It's now the country's 34th-largest daily and 41st-largest Sunday newspaper.

While daily and Sunday circulation fell at the Star Tribune, it posted a 17.2 percent increase in Web traffic at startribune.com to 88 million page views, according to the Web analysis firm Omniture. The site had 5.7 million unique visitors in September, a 9 percent gain from the previous September.

Figures for Pioneer Press Web traffic could not be obtained Monday.

The newspaper industry has seen circulation declines for more than a decade as readers have migrated to the Web. The trend accelerated this year, in part because the recession prompted some readers to cancel subscriptions and in part because many newspapers, including the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press, curbed unprofitable home delivery to outstate readers and to third-party outlets such as schools and hotels.

The Star Tribune also has been offering fewer discounts to new subscribers. Such deals lead to high readership turnover, and the newspaper is working to build long-term customer readerships, said spokesman Ben Taylor.

The Star Tribune raised its single copy price by 25 cents outside the Twin Cities area this year, a move that led to more revenue but fewer sales, Taylor said.

The Pioneer Press gained ground in its core readership areas of Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties, said Guy Gilmore, president and publisher of the Pioneer Press. Circulation grew in these areas on Sunday and in Wednesday through Friday editions.