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The Yorkshire Evening Post recorded the steepest circulation decline among regional daily newspapers over the six months to the end of 2017, new ABC figures show.
The Johnston Press-owned title was down 29 per cent on the same period last year to 11,494.
Its sister title, the Yorkshire Post was down 9 per cent year-on-year to 21,817.
But Johnston press saw circulation growth with the Wigan Post, which was up 42 per cent year-on-year to 3,370, including free copies of 1,373.
The Scotsman was also up 2 per cent year-on-year to 19,792, and Scotland on Sunday was up 1 per cent year-on-year to 16,289.
The Carlisle News and Star, which last month was sold to Newsquest as part of its takeover of publisher CN Group, was down 20 per cent year-on-year to 5,381 for its East edition and 24 per cent to 2,026 for its West edition.
Regional daily newspaper ABC figures July-Dec 2017 (print and digital edition combined):
| Publication | ABC Total | Year-on-Year % change | Free copies |
| London Evening Standard (FREE) | 867,325 | 2% | 867,325 |
| Aberdeen – Press & Journal | 48,208 | -7% | |
| Express & Star (West Midlands) | 47,669 | -14% | 9,405 |
| Manchester Evening News | 39,422 | -16% | 17,098 |
| Liverpool Echo | 38,474 | -13% | 771 |
| Belfast Telegraph | 36,403 | -9% | 7,199 |
| Dundee – The Courier | 35,813 | -9% | |
| Irish News – Morning | 34,082 | -4% | |
| Norwich – Eastern Daily Press | 28,970 | -16% | |
| The Herald | 25,869 | -10% | |
| Hull Daily Mail | 23,456 | -13% | |
| The Sentinel | 23,249 | -13% | |
| Shropshire Star | 23,110 | -14% | 818 |
| Leicester Mercury | 22,794 | -12% | 2,314 |
| Aberdeen – Evening Express | 22,736 | -12% | |
| Newcastle Chronicle | 22,401 | -16% | |
| Leeds – Yorkshire Post | 21,817 | -9% | |
| Darlington – The Northern Echo | 21,498 | -10% | |
| Glasgow – Evening Times | 20,874 | -12% | |
| Daily Post (Wales) | 19,842 | -11% | |
| The Scotsman | 19,792 | 2% | |
| Derby Telegraph | 18,106 | -4% | 2,015 |
| South Wales Evening Post | 18,029 | -14% | |
| Plymouth – Western Morning News | 17,629 | -11% | |
| Teesside Gazette | 17,557 | -17% | |
| Southend – Basildon – Canvey – Echo | 16,977 | -8% | |
| Edinburgh – Evening News | 16,660 | -9% | |
| Birmingham Mail | 16,626 | -13% | |
| Nottingham Post | 16,304 | -7% | 2,696 |
| Portsmouth – News & Sports Mail | 16,277 | -18% | |
| The Post | 15,271 | -12% | 1,197 |
| Sheffield Star | 14,716 | -12% | |
| Plymouth – The Herald | 14,681 | -10% | |
| Southampton – Southern Daily Echo | 14,491 | -12% | |
| Bristol – Western Daily Press | 14,472 | -7% | |
| Grimsby Telegraph | 14,334 | -13% | 281 |
| Ipswich – East Anglian Daily Times | 14,101 | -11% | |
| News Letter | 13,710 | -11% | |
| Wales – The Western Mail | 13,419 | -15% | |
| Cardiff – South Wales Echo | 13,394 | -12% | |
| Dundee Evening & Weekend Telegraph | 13,321 | -11% | |
| York – The Press | 13,104 | -10% | |
| Bradford – Telegraph & Argus | 12,382 | -11% | |
| Bournemouth – The Daily Echo | 12,289 | -10% | |
| Coventry Telegraph | 12,256 | -19% | |
| Leeds – Yorkshire Evening Post | 11,494 | -29% | |
| Sunderland Echo | 11,075 | -14% | |
| Cambridge News | 10,808 | -17% | 495 |
| Newcastle Journal | 10,789 | -14% | |
| The Argus Brighton | 10,581 | -5% | 1,066 |
| Huddersfield Daily Examiner | 10,418 | -16% | |
| South Wales Argus | 9,796 | -9% | 349 |
| The National | 9,746 | -6% | |
| Oxford Mail | 9,494 | -7% | |
| Dorset Echo | 9,331 | -9% | |
| Lancashire Post | 9,100 | -15% | |
| Greenock Telegraph | 8,959 | -6% | |
| Colchester – Daily Gazette | 8,859 | -9% | |
| Swindon Advertiser | 8,828 | -8% | |
| The Bolton News | 8,737 | -9% | |
| Ipswich Star | 8,620 | -15% | 2,636 |
| Lancashire Telegraph – Blackburn | 8,426 | -24% | |
| The Gazette – Blackpool | 8,187 | -14% | |
| Norwich – Evening News | 7,507 | -18% | |
| Burton Mail | 7,365 | -6% | 910 |
| Worcester News | 6,574 | -8% | |
| The Mail | 6,058 | -22% | |
| Carlisle – News and Star East | 5,381 | -20% | 24 |
| South Shields – Shields Gazette | 4,602 | -18% | 37 |
| Paisley Daily Express | 4,508 | -6% | |
| Hartlepool Mail | 4,183 | -18% | 66 |
| Wigan Post | 3,370 | 42% | 1,373 |
| Carlisle – News and Star West | 2,026 | -24% |
News Editor, Tortoise Media
Editor - Data Rights, The Citizens
Media Relations Exec (B2B), Definition
Take away the free copies and the Ipswich Star is now under 6,000? Wow. Archant’s hierarchy is really paying the price now for the 2016 decisions to decimate the Norfolk and Suffolk picture desks, and then get rid of all the daily subs.
Massively over-templated papers just don’t have massive readership appeal, but try telling that to anyone in Prospect House.
The editorial teams can’t be faulted for their efforts and commitment; it’s the senior management who are totally to blame for the catastrophic decline of Archant’s dailies. But don’t worry everyone, Matt Kelly and his sidekicks are still tweeting endlessly about The New European…
The Eastern Daily Press continues in free fall with yet another huge six month copy sale ABC loss, this time a staggering 16% down on an already declining readership, just 3% penetration of the catchment area ,just how much longer can Archant allow losses of this magnitude to continue before going digital edition only,merging with the EADT or closure?
Costs rising and revenues falling will be another concern for the shareholders whose patience is running out.
Mr New European and his policy of death by his templating has a lot to answer for.