The most obvious source of the Lansing State Journal and other newspapers’ circulation problem is they are owned by Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the United States. The circulation numbers tell the basic story, but the causes are varied and complicated. Many signs point to an increasing decline. I fear for the Lansing community and people’s ability to obtain important news. “We were a presence in the wider community, but that presence is disappearing. We reported important stories from the township suburbs,” said Mark Nixon, former editorial page editor at the Journal from 1993 to 2006. “Whatever the reason for the downsizing of the Lansing State Journal, it leaves me sad because I remember our robust coverage of Lansing City Hall as well as East Lansing City Hall. Two decades ago, the daily and Saturday papers circulated close to 80,000 copies and nearly 100,000 of the Sunday edition. Sunday circulation declined 16.1% from a year ago to a total of 14,675 (print 12,646 and digital replica 2,029). Subscribers can only read the replica edition on Saturdays after the LSJ eliminated its print edition last year. That’s an 18.2% decrease from September 2021. A spokesperson said those numbers have not yet been audited. As of September 2022, the average Monday–Saturday circulation was 8,994, including both print (6,631) and the digital replica edition (2,363), according to the Alliance for Audited Media, an independent nonprofit organization upon which many newspapers and other media have relied for decades for accurate reporting of circulation. The paper’s circulation started declining in 2005 and hasn’t stopped. The Lansing State Journal, however, is experiencing an unwelcomed type of consistency: continued loss of daily and Sunday circulation and likely advertising revenue. Consistency is typically considered a positive attribute for individuals and companies to achieve their goals.
0 kommentar(er)
