May 24–31, 2001

media

By the Numbers

As if folks at the Daily News didn’t have enough to worry about, Metro, the SEPTA commuter paper, is crowing about passing the News in circulation.

According to a Metro news release, Certified Audit Circulations puts the paper’s average daily circulation for the three-month period ending March 31 at 155,573. The Daily News uses a different service, the Audit Bureau of Circulation, and recently reported a Monday-Friday average circulation of 152,037 for a six-month period also ending March 31.

"Metro has established itself with consistent growth in circulation," Metro publisher Jim McDonald said in the release, "especially in young readers segments that traditional dailies like the Daily News can’t seem to penetrate."

Daily News Managing Editor Ellen Foley notes, however, that the two papers use different auditing services, and wonders whether McDonald is "comparing apples and oranges."

And in either case, the Daily News is happy with its current numbers, she adds. "We have reduced our promotional budget, and we’re still holding onto a substantial number of loyal readers." (At the end of the six-month period ending March 2000, the Daily News’ daily circulation stood at 161,755.) And considering that her paper costs 60 cents and the Metro is free, she adds, "that’s testimony to the strength of the Daily News."

—Frank Lewis