ABC Regional Newspapers: July-December 2007

The latest regional ABC figures, for July to December 2007, show that all of the top ten paid for regional titles recorded declines in their circulations.

Within the free regional newspaper groups category, there was a big increase for Northcliffe Newspapers Group, up by around 21.5%, or 502,000 copies year on year.

None of the top ten paid regional newspaper groups recorded a year on year increase during the period.

However, the Lincolnshire Newspapers Group remained relatively static year on year, with a decline of around just 754 copies. It now has a total circulation figure of more than 81,000.

Kent Messenger Weekly Newspaper Group has the highest circulation figure, at around 143,000 copies, although this figure was down 3.3% year on year.

In second place is Archant London Group, with a total of almost 114,000. It registered a year on year downturn of almost 11,000 copies.

The top paid regional newspaper title was the Irish Independent, which had a total circulation figure of almost 161,000 copies, down almost 2% year on year.

In second place, the West Midlands Express & Star had a total of 140,000 copies, although it too was down year on year, by around 2.5%.

The Liverpool Echo also recorded a decline, of around 4% year on year, leaving it with a circulation of more than 109,000 copies.

The largest declines in the sector were felt by the Manchester Evening News & The Pink and the Belfast Telegraph, which both suffered downturns of around 14% year on year.

The Manchester Evening News & The Pink now has a circulation of more than 82,000 copies, while the Belfast Telegraph‘s rests at almost 78,000 copies.

The Manchester Evening News has a hybrid distribution model, with the paper given away in the City Centre, and sold in the suburbs.

The Dublin Evening Herald‘s circulation is not far behind that of the Manchester Evening News & The Pink, at around 82,000 copies, although it saw a decline of around 4.3% year on year.

The Glasgow Evening Times was down by almost 5.5% for the period, leaving it with a total figure of around 81,000 copies, while the Newcastle Evening Chronicle now has a circulation of nearly 79,000 following a 2.9% fall.

There was some good news in the free regional groups sector, with Northcliffe Media remaining the group with the highest circulation, at over 2.8 million, following an increase more than 502,000 copies year on year.

In July last year, Northcliffe, the local media division of Daily Mail and General Trust, acquired 25 weekly regional newspapers from Trinity Mirror for £64.15 million.

MEN Weekly Free Newspapers Group, in second place, posted a circulation figure of almost 738,000 copies, while in third place, KM All Free Recruitment Group remained relatively static year on year, at more than 632,000.

There was a big increase for the Observer Standard Newspapers Limited Group, which was up by 16% year on year, or around 68,000 copies, taking its total to more than 492,000.

The Midlands News Association Group recorded a decline of around 2.5%, leaving it with a total of almost 612,000 copies.

Adscene Group, meanwhile, shed more than 21,000 copies year on year, to leave its total at over 317,000 copies.

ABC: 01442 870 800 www.abc.org.uk