Getting people to look at a daily newspaper on weekdays is increasingly difficult, but Gannett is claiming success with an effort to boost paid circulation on the day that it publishes the biggest, thickest newspapers with the most ads – Sunday.
Gannett notes that the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations’ Publishers Statements for the six-month period ended September 30, 2010, showed improving Sunday home delivery paid circulation at many of Gannett’s daily newspapers, including 21 of US Community Publishing division’s top newspapers. These include some of the company’s largest circulation newspapers, notably The Arizona Republic, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Des Moines Register, The Greenville (SC) News, The News Journal in Wilmington, DE, The News-Press in Fort Myers, FL, and The Tennessean in Nashville.
“We know our Sunday newspapers are highly valued by consumers, who spend more than an hour on average reading the Sunday newspaper’s news and advertising information,” said Robert Dickey, president of Gannett’s US Community Publishing (USCP). “Over the course of the year, we have strategically focused our efforts on improving the Sunday experience for both our subscribers and advertisers who recognize that they can reach a highly engaged audience on Sundays,” he added.
Increased retention rates among new subscribers this year indicate content and product improvements are enhancing loyalty among readers, Gannett said. Thirteen-week subscriber retention has improved nearly 5% over last year, while 26-week subscriber retention has improved nearly 9%.
