L.A. Times Again Biggest U.S. Metropolitan Paper

The Los Angeles Times has regained its position as the metropolitan newspaper with the largest daily circulation in the country, a distinction held by the New York Times for six months.

The Los Angeles Times had an overall weekday circulation of 1,146,631 for the six months ended Sept. 30, according to unaudited figures filed by the newspaper with the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Sunday circulation was 1,515,220.

In comparison, the New York Times reported daily circulation of 1,145,890 for the six months ended Sept. 30. It retained its No. 1 spot on Sunday, with circulation of 1,741,989.

Daily circulation for the Los Angeles Times was down 30,622, or 2.6%, from the year-ago reporting period. Sunday circulation was down 14,389, or 0.9%.

David Laventhol, Los Angeles Times publisher and chief executive, blamed the overall circulation decline on cutbacks the newspaper has made outside its main circulation area.

The Los Angeles Times became the nation’s largest metropolitan daily in March, 1990, with circulation of 1,210,077.

But in the period ending March 31, 1992, the New York Times had the largest daily circulation of 1,201,970. Daily circulation of the Los Angeles Times for that reporting period had fallen to 1,164,388.

The Orange County edition of The Times continued to grow. The weekday circulation of the Orange County edition grew 4.5%, or 8,451, to 193,923. Its Sunday circulation grew 5.5%, or 15,189, to 291,467.

Meanwhile, for the second reporting period in a row, the Orange County Register saw a circulation drop in Orange County.

The Register’s circulation declined 4.4% for its daily edition and 2.8% on Sunday. The Register’s Orange County circulation fell 14,190 on weekdays, to 304,755. Its Sunday circulation fell 10,351, to 358,403, the bureau said.

Overall, including the newspapers that the Register sells outside Orange County, its daily circulation fell 3.8%, to 345,436, while Sunday circulation fell 1.3%, to 394,986.

In the latest reporting period, the Los Angeles Times’ circulation increased for the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County editions, which are reported together. Daily circulation was up by 3,827, to 232,996, for the six months ended Sept. 30, according to the newspaper’s records, while Sunday circulation was up by 10,718, to 329,254, for the period, compared to the corresponding six-month period last year.

The Los Angeles-based Times Mirror Co. owns the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and New York Newsday, the Baltimore Sun and other newspapers as well as interests in broadcast and cable television, and book and magazine publishing.