 | | | Los Angeles Times Reports September Circulation | LOS ANGELES, October 23, 2000 -- The Los Angeles Times reported a rise in Sunday circulation of 17,400, or 1.3 percent, to 1,379,600 -- the highest September total since 1995 -- according to figures filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the six-month period ended September 30, 2000, subject to audit. The Times attributed its Sunday circulation growth to strong gains in Orange County and to joint home delivery with Rafu Shimpo, a Japanese-English language newspaper.
Average daily circulation for the six-month period ended September 30, 2000 was 1,033,440, a decline of 44,800, or 4.2 percent. The decrease is related to recent actions affecting daily circulation, including the discontinuation of the La Opinion distribution arrangement involving bundled single copies, and the reduction in use of bonus days. Excluding La Opinion circulation gains and adjusting for fewer bonus days in the prior year's September statement, The Times' average daily circulation for September 30, 2000 would have been about flat.
"We are very pleased with our strong growth on Sunday, particularly in the Orange County region, which continues to be a high priority for us, and the strength of our core daily circulation," said John Puerner, publisher, Los Angeles Times. "The goal of our recent actions, including ending the La Opinion joint distribution arrangement and the less frequent use of bonus days, was to create a consistent standard for measuring success going forward. We believe we now have a very solid foundation to build circulation growth," said Puerner.
In its March 2000 ABC statement, The Times retroactively reduced the number of bonus days reflecting a decision to use bonus days more judiciously in the future. In September, The Times and La Opinion jointly announced the decision to cease bundling the two newspapers and focus on expanding home delivery of the combined newspapers. The Times other ethnic partnerships focus on home delivery. The Times elected not to record the circulation gains resulting from the La Opinion distribution arrangement for the period ended September 30, 2000 even though the program continued through the reporting period.
The Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing company, has won 24 Pulitzer Prizes and is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country. It publishes four daily regional editions -- covering Los Angeles metropolitan area, the San Fernando Valley, and Orange and Ventura counties -- as well as the National Edition. | |