Bucking a national trend, Peninsula Daily News increased its circulation over the six-month period that ended March 31, according to figures compiled by the Audit Bureau of Circulations
The report showed that the newspaper reached new highs in both weekday and Sunday circulation in Jefferson and Clallam counties — making the PDN again the fastest-growing daily newspaper in the state.
While some of the country’s largest newspapers also achieved strong growth, many did not, including The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, according to the Audit Bureau.
Its publishers blamed the national do-not-call list for restricting telemarketing efforts and continuing lags in the Seattle economy.
The PDN is the only newspaper published in Jefferson and Clallam counties that has its circulation figures audited and certified by an independent agency.
Weekly and monthly newspapers like the Sequim Gazette and Port Townsend Leader in the two counties do not use an auditing firm to track, report or verify their home delivery and newsstand sales.
“We continue to invest to make this a newspaper that people want to read — and it is encouraging to see this reflected once again in our I independently verified circulation figures,” said John Brewer, PDN editor and publisher.
“I think our growth is a tribute to our staff who work hard to make sure we cover the important news in our readership area.”
Brewer also credited increases in advertising, “especially local advertising of interest to our readers.”
Record high
Peninsula Daily News’ Monday through Friday circulation has hit a record high, averaging 17,221 for the first time in the newspaper’s history.
For Sunday circulation, the PDN rose to 18,560, also an all-time high.
The year-over-year weekday net paid circulation growth was 555 weekday, or 3.3 percent, and 516, or 2.9 percent, for Sunday.
The new figures also mark the 11th consecutive half-year reporting period that the PDN has shown increases in its paid subscriptions and single-copy sales in Jefferson and Clallam counties.
The increases also make the PDN, for the fifth straight year, the fastest-growing newspaper, percentage-wise, of all audited newspapers in Washington based on home delivery and newsstand sales.
The Tri-City Herald in Pasco was the only other newspaper in the state showing year-over-year growth. It had a weekday increase of 741 copies, or 1.8 percent, and Sunday growth of 278, or 0.6 percent.
Sequim and East Jefferson County, including Port Townsend — two growing areas of the North Olympic Peninsula — account for most of the PDN’s circulation growth.
Zoned editions
The PDN publishes separate editions for Jefferson and Clallam counties, with news and photos tailored for readers in each county.
The PDN also circulates a weekly advertising-only shopper, Olympic Marketplace, to 14,400 homes from Hood Canal to LaPush that is not counted as part of the PDN’s circulation.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations is a national company that audits newspaper-readership numbers and produces a twice-yearly report of verified paid newspaper circulation. It audits circulation figures for 836 newspapers.
Regionally, according to ABC, The Seattle Times showed its daily circulation at 237,303, down 2,165 from the similar period a year ago; Seattle P-I daily, 150,901, down 4,912; combined Times-P-I Sunday edition, 465,830, down 8,918; Tacoma Tribune daily, 128,748, down 1,493; The Daily Olympian, 34,482, down 2,598.
The nation’s four largest newspapers all reported gains.
USA Today, the nation’s largest daily, reported a circulation of nearly 2.2 million, and The Wall Street Journal, 2.1 million.
Following them were The New York Times, with a circulation of 1.13 million, and the Los Angeles Times with 983,727.