Hoy Daily Circulation Overstated by 43,000

A final audit released by a circulation reporting group Tuesday showed that Hoy, a Spanish-language newspaper owned by Tribune Co., overstated its daily circulation in New York by nearly 43,000 copies.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations said Hoy’s daily circulation for the 12-month period ended Sept. 30, 2003, was found to be 49,681. That was almost half as many as the originally reported 92,604 but within the adjusted range of 45,000 to 55,000 announced by Tribune in September. Tribune also publishes the Los Angeles Times.

Sunday circulation was 25,465, compared with the 33,198 copies originally reported by Hoy.

Hoy is one of several newspapers found this year to have inflated their circulation numbers, which affect the rates charged to advertisers. Tribune’s Newsday on Long Island in New York also overstated its circulation, as did Belo Corp.’s Dallas Morning News and Hollinger International Inc.’s Chicago Sun-Times.

The auditing group, composed of publishers and advertisers, has been investigating Hoy’s circulation practices since February and is still reviewing the two most recent six-month periods. It said it expected to complete those audits by early 2005.

The group’s board censured Hoy and the other papers this summer for circumventing circulation reporting rules.

The group a few weeks ago put Newsday’s weekday circulation at 481,816 for the year, down from the 579,599 the paper originally reported.