© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Report Details Dropping Circulation for Newspapers

By David Folkenflik
Published May 3, 2005 at 12:00 AM EDT

New figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) -- the equivalent of the Nielsen ratings for newspapers -- show that daily newspapers surveyed lost nearly 2 percent of their paid circulation compared to a year ago.

Sunday editions lost 2.5 percent: In the figures below from the ABC report, for example, only the New York Times and New York Daily News showed an increase.

Recent circulation inflation scandals at Newsday and the Dallas Morning News have made newspapers far more careful about discounts and other promotions used to lure readers. In addition, online readership is not currently counted in the circulation figures, which are used to determine crucial advertising rates.

Total Paid Circulation for Top American Newspapers (Sunday Edition)**

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

*<i>USA Today</i> figure is for Friday edition; <i>Wall Street Journal</i> figure is for the weekday edition. ** <i>Newsday</i> and the <i>Dallas Morning News</i> were among the top 20 papers last year, but have been excluded due to "ABC Board censure."
/
*USA Today figure is for Friday edition; Wall Street Journal figure is for the weekday edition. ** Newsday and the Dallas Morning News were among the top 20 papers last year, but have been excluded due to "ABC Board censure."
David Folkenflik
David Folkenflik was described by Geraldo Rivera of Fox News as "a really weak-kneed, backstabbing, sweaty-palmed reporter." Others have been kinder. The Columbia Journalism Review, for example, once gave him a "laurel" for reporting that immediately led the U.S. military to institute safety measures for journalists in Baghdad.
See stories by David Folkenflik

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.

Donate

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.