THE Glasgow evening newspaper, the Evening Times, has suffered a double-digit drop in its sales between December 2008 and December last year.
Says the Audit Bureau of Circulation – in its twice-yearly sales review of UK regional newspapers – the paper enjoyed an average sale of 59,365 in December last year, compared to 63,863 six months before and 68,422 a further six months before that: in other words a seven per cent drop between June last year and December last year and a 13.2 per cent drop between December 2008 and 12 months later.
For Scotland’s other so-called ‘regional dailies’ the figures were all down, but sometimes by only a couple of per cent.
The Aberdeen Evening Express registered an average sale in December last year of 50,947, down 1.6 per cent from six months previously (at 51,800) and 2.1 per cent on 12 months previously (at 52,029).
Meanwhile, sister title, The Press and Journal, also held up pretty well, the morning newspaper recording an average sale of 75,440 in December last year, down two per cent on six months previously (at 77,006) and 3.4 per cent on 12 months previously (at 78,121).
The other significant figures were:
Dundee Courier – 65,871 (December 2009) down 3.1 per cent on six months previously (at 67,996) and 5.1 per cent on 12 months before (at 69,414).
Dundee Evening Telegraph – 22,476 (December 2009) down 2.7 per cent on six months previously (at 23,180) and 2.1 per cent on 12 months before (at 23,048).
Edinburgh Evening News – 44,464 (December 2009) down 3.8 per cent on six months previously (at 46,222) and 5.7 per cent on 12 months before (at 47,129).
Greenock Telegraph – 15,241 (December 2009) down 4.5 per cent on six months previously (at 15,965) and 6.8 per cent on 12 months before (at 16,349).
Paisley Daily Express – 8313 (December 2009) down 5.1 per cent on six months previously (at 8764 ) and 5.9 per cent on 12 months before (at 8831).
Over the coming days: an A-Z of how Scotland’s weekly, local newspaper sector fared.
