View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Media Business
June 10, 2013

Only two Trinity Mirror regionals increasing circulation as group posts first monthly figures

By Gavriel Hollander

Two of Trinity Mirror’s 14 leading regional newspapers have grown their circulation this year.

According to the latest ABC figures, the Birmingham Mail and The Western Mail in Wales were the only papers to increase circulation in May compared to average circulation for the six months to the end of December 2012.

The Birmingham Mail averaged a circulation of 42,593 for May, up 6.3 per cent from the average figure for the last six months of 2012. The Western Mail, meanwhile, increased circulation by just under 3 per cent to stand at an average of 23,717.

The biggest falls were suffered by Teesside’s Evening Gazette (9.9 per cent), the Sunday Mercury in Birmingham (8.4 per cent) and the Sunday Sun in Newcastle (8.2 per cent).

Last month marked the first time that Trinity Mirror’s biggest regional daily and Sunday titles have been audited on a monthly basis. Next month’s figures are likely to give a more accurate picture of month on month performance.

However, Trinity Mirror is likely to be relatively happy with the performance of its regional titles, with the 11 daily and three Sunday papers registering an overall fall in circulation of just 4.3 per cent from the second half of last year to May 2013.

Although, it is not a like-for-like comparison, several national newspapers have seen circulation fall by more than 10 per cent compared to 12 months ago. The Trinity Mirror figures suggest that the fall in circulation for regional titles is slower than for many of their national peers.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Last month, Trinity Mirror announced that 11 of its regional papers would be audited monthly. Three more titles – The Journal in Newcastle, Huddersfield’s Daily Examiner and the Western Mail – were later added to the list.

“We are pleased to be leading the way in the regional press by providing monthly ABC figures,” said Allan Tyldesley, newspaper sales director at Trinity Mirror. “In the coming months we’ll also be adding our regional digital figures.”

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network