Los Angeles Times Reports March Circulation
May 02 2005 - 3:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Los Angeles Times Reports March Circulation LOS ANGELES, May 2
/PRNewswire/ -- For the six months ended March 31, 2005, the Los
Angeles Times reported Monday-Saturday average daily circulation of
907,997, a decline of 6.5 percent compared with the prior year, and
Sunday circulation of 1,253,849, a decline of 7.9 percent from the
prior year, according to figures filed with the Audit Bureau of
Circulations, subject to audit. Excluding the effect of a reduction
in third-party bulk sales, daily circulation would have declined
5.2 percent and Sunday would have declined 4.7 percent. "These
circulation declines are driven by the same issues that impacted
our September circulation statement," said Jeffrey M. Johnson, Los
Angeles Times executive vice president and general manager, who
will become president, publisher and CEO on June 1. "These include
the transition to more targeted sales channels from a heavy
reliance on telemarketing and the decision to deliberately reduce
certain types of circulation, such as third-party bulk sales. The
reality is that it takes two six-month reporting statements to
cycle through these changes. "The Los Angeles Times continues to
deliver the largest audience in Southern California with an average
daily readership of 2.4 million and 3.5 million on Sunday,
according to Scarborough 2004 Los Angeles Report. To strengthen
this market position, we're investing in various strategies and
programs to increase readership that should begin to show results
in September," added Johnson. The Times has taken the following
actions: * Launched a comprehensive $10 million consumer marketing
campaign, including brand advertising and direct marketing efforts.
* Appointed a veteran newspaper circulation executive to a newly
created position of senior vice president, circulation to focus
entirely on circulation sales and distribution. * Began executing
new circulation programs to grow late-week circulation and Sunday
readership. "These investments are good examples of our long-term
commitment to growing quality, responsive readership that delivers
results to our advertisers," said Johnson. The Los Angeles Times, a
Tribune Publishing company, is the largest metropolitan daily
newspaper in the country and the winner of 37 Pulitzer Prizes,
including two this year. The Times publishes five daily regional
editions, including the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange and
Ventura counties, the San Fernando Valley, and an Inland Empire
edition covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as a
National edition. Additional information about The Times is
available at http://www.latimes.com/mediacenter. DATASOURCE: Los
Angeles Times CONTACT: Martha Goldstein of Los Angeles Times,
+1-213-237-3727, Web site: http://www.latimes.com/mediacenter
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