Newspaper Audience - 2006 Annual Report

Beyond the basic circulation numbers, there are other indicators to watch. Although it appears circulation has been declining since the early 1990s, the total number of daily newspapers has remained generally stable over the last several years and even increased by one in 2004. The total number of daily papers in the U.S. now stands at 1,457, according to Editor & Publisher.20

Number of U.S. Daily Newspapers

Weekday and Sunday editions, yearly increments, 1990-2004

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Source: Editor and Publisher Yearbook data

The trend toward fewer evening editions apparently continued to accelerate. According to the last year for which data are available, 2004, the number of morning papers increased by 27, to 814, while the number of evening papers fell by the same number, dropping the p.m. total to 653. The number of evening papers has dropped for nearly three decades as evening network news, market consolidation, and now presumably the Internet, have siphoned off their audience. And circulation remains heavily oriented toward the morning, with over six times more papers sold then than in the evening, also up from last year.21

Finally, the total number of Sunday papers fell by two, to 915.