A regional newspaper whose editor departed in a restructure last month was the only daily title to post an increase in circulation in the ABC figures published today.
The Lancashire Telegraph’s average circulation from January to June this year was 13,304, an increase of 1.6pc year-on-year.
The Telegraph’s rise was revealed in today’s regional ABC figures after long-standing editor Kevin Young, pictured left, departed the Newsquest title last month as part of an “organisational restructure”.
However the figures can be largely attributed to an increase in free pick ups for the daily, which launched a free Burnley edition of the Lancashire Telegraph last November after the weekly Burnley Citizen was axed.
The rest of the regional dailies across the UK failed to increase their year-on-year sales, with many seeing double-digit declines in their average circulations.
Among the worst-performing titles were the Doncaster Star, an edition of the Sheffield Star, with a decline of 25.2pc year-on-year to 767, the Shields Gazette with a decline of 19.1pc to 8,178 and the Sunderland Echo which was down 17.7pc to 16,894.
Others who had double-digit declines in sales included the Paisley Daily Express at 16.8pc, the Yorkshire Evening Post at 16.1pc and the Hartlepool Mail at 15.7pc.
Titles who performed well included Channel Island sister dailies the Guernsey Press & Star, which had a decrease of 3.7pc to 13,197, and the Jersey Evening Post, with a decline of 3.9pc to 15,002.
Other newspapers which avoided large circulation falls included the Norwich Evening News with a decline of 4.8pc and the Colchester Daily Gazette at 5.5pc.
The Sunday Herald also performed well yet again, with an increase of 15.5pc year-on-year to 29,009, which comes after an increase of 34.7pc in the ABC figures for July to December 2014.
The Wolverhampton-based Express & Star remained the biggest-selling daily with an average circulation of 67,276 but it had a decrease of 13.1pc.
Most Trinity Mirror regional titles do not have full details of their circulations recorded in today’s figures because they were included in the monthly print figures until recently.
But the latest figures from June, which were published last month, showed that print sales fell at all of Trinity Mirror’s regional titles, with the biggest year-on-year decline at the Birmingham Mail at 28.2pc.
A number of Local World dailies are also missing from the figures, including the Burton Mail, Cambridge News, Western Daily Press and Western Morning News.
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These figures confirm the imminent extinction of regional daily, an institution now as outmoded as a coaching inn. Also sad to see the one exception was led by a man booted out of the industry by dismal suits. If that isn’t a death wish, what is?
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And what was Lancs Telegraph paid for percentage last time round?
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Dick Minim… Be careful when it’s comes to analysing statistics.
The Blackburn Telegraph may have enjoyed a small rise but that was after a catastrophic 25% drop in the corresponding period last year
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Mark: I wasn’t analysing, just reacting. I did wonder, though, if some sort of one-off event (Charles & Camilla in town, for example) accounted for the rise. Whatever, we’re in a hell of a hole.
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My heartiest congratulations to the North East management team of Johnston Press. You’ve managed to get all three evening titles into the worst performing in the UK. Again. Fancy taking responsibility for your actions? Any management jobs going?
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“….Other newspapers which avoided large circulation falls included the Norwich Evening News with a decline of 4.8pc”
It’s a sorry state of affairs when a newspapers decline of 4.8% is seen as something to celebrate, looking back at the last 5 years ABC figures the NEN has steadily lost almost half its entire audience going from around 19,800 in 2011 to just 10,500 currently, therefore it’s actually 4.8% of an already hugely diminished figure and one which must give cause for alarm on the top floor at Archant HQ, no wonder they moved its mast head from the front of the building
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So you reckon Charles and Camilla boost circulation do you, DickMinim? Blimey.
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No mystery here!, the answer’s revealed in para 4……giveaways
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I’m in my 40s and the Yorkshire Evening Post was a fine broadsheet when I was a lad.
Today it is sadly embarrassing tabloid trash.
JP aren’t ft to run a bath.
Their Wetherby News should be fined under the Trades Description Act.
Barely a handful of tales from Wetherby.
The rest is from Harrogate, which is in another district.
Fortunately, the Yorkshire Post is still reasonable- at least on a Saturday.
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