Rupert Murdoch has suffered a small black eye. His New York flagship, the NY Post, has lost its top position to the rival NY Daily News.
The Post was among many papers in the US that suffered a drop in circulation in the past six months – overall going down almost three percent.
Although the Daily News is among those who lost circulation, it nevertheless edged ahead of its rival The Post – regaining the lead it lost a year ago..
Average weekday circulation of The News fell just under two per cent to just over 681,000. At the same time The Post slipped back more than five per cent to 667,000 copies.
For the Post the drop marked a setback in an effort to overtake the News as the number one New York tabloid. Although News Corp does not break down its figures, The Post is said to be losing tens of million of dollars a year.
The Post declined to comment on the declining figures – except to suggest they reflect the price increases in many newspapers around New York. Lately in an attempt to build circulation outside New York the Post has dropped many of its circulation-boosting contests, which promise readers big prizes.
The Daily News was cockahoop. It claimed its new figures reflect the paper’s commitment to local coverage of New York – suggesting that The Post has given up the local New York market and is attempting to break into the national market.
The Post’s Sunday circulation also took a hit – dropping 5 per cent to just over 400,000 copies. Circulation of The News also fell – by 7 per cent – but remained well ahead of The Post.
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