Norfolk stood out as a beacon amidst the gloom in this week’s regional ABC figures as its two daily titles each put on sales
The Norwich Evening News topped the English regional circulation league table for the second six months in succession with a 3.4pc sales increase, while Archant stablemate the Eastern Daily Press saw sales rise by 0.6pc.
But away from Norfolk, only one other UK regional daily title increased its average daily sale in the period December 2010 – June 2011 compared with the same period last year – the Dundee Evening Telegraph, which saw a 1.6pc increase.
All other daily titles suffered a drop in circulation figures, with the Yorkshire Evening Post down 14.6pc.
Editor of the Norwich Evening News, Tim Williams, said: “These fantastic results are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the Archant team in Norwich. We have probably the best newspaper distribution staff nationally, led by Don Williamson and his audience growth team.
“While our journalists focus 100 per cent on delivering community news which readers want and expect from their local newspaper. There’s no national or international news in the Norwich Evening News, for instance – we’re about providing local news from the front page, through our feature content and to all our sports coverage, six days a week.
“On the Evening News we have never subscribed to the view that newspapers are in terminal decline. There may be an ever increasing amount of news and information in our lives. But how much of what is available is local and relevant?
“That’s where newspapers like the Norwich Evening News can continue to be positive about the future, we believe.”
By contrast the worst performer was Nottingham Post which saw a decrease of 16.9pc. The Northcliffe-owned title now has a circulation of 35,361, compared to 42,529 for the same period last year.
Johnston Press title the Yorkshire Evening Post saw the second biggest drop of 14.6pc while other big fallers included the Lancashire Evening Post, down 12.5pc, and Bristol based the Western Daily Press, down 11pc.
Archant chief executive, Adrian Jeakings, said: “I am delighted with these results. Paid-for printed products continue to have a key role to play in delivering an audience for our advertisers.
“This really shows what can be done with the right combination of engaging, relevant stories and the use of innovative ways of getting our newspapers to readers to support the more traditional channels.”
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
I’m sorry to rain on the parade but how on earth can the team in Norwich celebrate a performance where sale actually FELL by 9.6% year-on-year? The only reason the headline ABC figure shows an increase is because they reported 8 copies as bulk sales in Jan-Jun 2010 but this year the number has hiked up to over 2400!
It’s disappointing that HTFP hasn’t gone beyond the top-line figures.
Report this comment
What a shame my old paper, the Western Daily Press, has gone into sales freefall – it wasn’t like that in my day
Report this comment
Ill-informed has it about right. And despite Williams’ gushing comments about how good the news team is, it’s more than likely down to the success of Norwich City and their return to the Premiership. When sales are that low in a city of Norwich’s size, one would hope they can’t go much lower. Penetration, for all the boasting, can’t be that good.
Most papers enjoy a spike in sales on the back of their local football team, and why shouldn’t the Evening News? I’m not begrudging that, just that the “success” story is more to do with Carrow Road than Archant.
What do they always say, never let the facts get in the way of a good story?
Report this comment
Ill-informed has it about right. While the gushing of Williams talks about the “hard work and dedication” of the team, this spike is more likely down to something else. While I have to bow to Ill-informed’s greater knowledge of bulk sales, I would also like to suggest that Norwich City’s successful season and eventual return to the Premiership is also likely to have put on sales.
While that would be the case with any newspaper with a football team proving successful, playing it up as a success for a newspaper which has cut back and cut back and cut back is perhaps a claim too far.
But, what’s the old saying, never let the facts get in the way of a good story?
Report this comment
The Archant management team = disillusioned. Anybody could achieve this result with a bulk sale strategy of this nature. If the Editor was tweeting on about a product which consumers were actively/consciously choosing to buy, I could understand this hyperbole. HTFP, the NS, mediaguardian.co.uk have all been sloppy in their coverage of this blatant apples and pears scenario!
Report this comment
Agreed, ill-informed. Norfolk is a beacon….in bulks. The full story should be told.
Report this comment
And the Western Daily Press is now merely a publication of news aggregated from other Northcliffe titles in the south west. No identity = no love = falling readership!
Report this comment
Well the Norwich Evening News was flying off the shelves at my local Tesco, last Monday.
Mind you, each copy had a big sticker saying “Only 20p”.
That’s better than half price.
Also, no wonder they don’t include national and international news anymore. By the time the Evening News hits the newstands, national stories have moved on by about 12 hours.
Report this comment
And even with that kind of cut price strategy, it’s still -9.6 in actual sales? (as opposed to +3.4 in ABC with all the bulks). Not that much of a cause for celebration and self praise then, I would have thought.
Report this comment