Print circulations fell across the board year-on-year for the UK and Ireland’s regional daily newspapers, according to new ABC figures.
Archant’s Ipswich Star fell hardest, with circulation down 37 per cent year-on-year to 5,423 over the six months from July to December last year.
This follows its decision to scrap a free Thursday edition of the paper, previously included in ABC figures, and launch new standalone title the Ipswich Extra in February 2018.
Ispwich Extra has a circulation of 14,140 for the period, according to ABC.
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Brad Jones, editor of the Ipswich Star, said: “The -37 per cent year-on-year decline is not an accurate representation of Ipswich Star sales.
“Actively purchased copy sales of the Star are actually down -9.4 per cent, which is one of the smallest declines of the 50 titles reporting.”
Reach-owned daily the Cambridge News was down 34 per cent to 7,124.
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The Irish News recorded the smallest circulation decline over the six-month period, down five per cent to 32,315.
Both the Yorkshire Post, owned by JPI Media, and the Manchester Evening News, owned by Reach, saw double-digit circulation decline.
Regional daily newspaper circulation July-December 2018 (ABC):
| Publication | Owner | Total circ. Jul-Dec 2018 | Year-on-year % change | Bulks | Free |
| Aberdeen – Press & Journal | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 43,746 | -9% | 355 | |
| Express & Star (West Midlands) | The Midland News Association | 38,690 | -19% | 6,535 | |
| Manchester Evening News | Reach plc | 35,417 | -10% | 7 | 16,347 |
| Belfast Telegraph | Independent News & Media (NI) | 33,951 | -7% | 2,009 | 7,008 |
| Dundee – The Courier | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 33,144 | -8% | 255 | |
| Irish News – Morning | Irish News Co | 32,315 | -5% | 178 | |
| Liverpool Echo | Reach plc | 32,257 | -16% | 64 | |
| Norwich – Eastern Daily Press | Archant Ltd | 25,631 | -12% | ||
| The Herald | Newsquest Media Group | 22,901 | -12% | ||
| The Sentinel | Reach plc | 20,682 | -11% | ||
| Hull Daily Mail | Reach plc | 20,212 | -14% | 42 | |
| Shropshire Star | The Midland News Association | 20,137 | -13% | 846 | |
| Aberdeen – Evening Express | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 19,732 | -13% | 47 | |
| Leeds – Yorkshire Post | JPIMedia Limited | 19,434 | -11% | 1,255 | |
| Newcastle Chronicle | Reach plc | 19,259 | -14% | ||
| Darlington – The Northern Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 19,142 | -11% | ||
| Glasgow – Evening Times | Newsquest Media Group | 18,204 | -13% | ||
| Daily Post (Wales) | Reach plc | 18,007 | -9% | ||
| Leicester Mercury | Reach plc | 17,015 | -25% | 322 | |
| The Scotsman | JPIMedia Limited | 16,349 | -17% | 3,116 | |
| South Wales Evening Post | Reach plc | 15,748 | -13% | 125 | |
| Southend – Basildon – Canvey – Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 15,299 | -10% | 86 | |
| Plymouth – Western Morning News | Reach plc | 15,295 | -13% | ||
| Teesside Gazette | Reach plc | 15,067 | -14% | ||
| Derby Telegraph | Reach plc | 15,029 | -17% | 694 | 18 |
| Birmingham Mail | Reach plc | 14,458 | -13% | ||
| Edinburgh – Evening News | JPIMedia Limited | 14,195 | -15% | 174 | |
| Portsmouth – News & Sports Mail | JPIMedia Limited | 13,902 | -15% | 34 | |
| Bristol – Western Daily Press | Reach plc | 13,425 | -7% | 3 | |
| Southampton – Southern Daily Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 12,954 | -11% | 23 | |
| Plymouth – The Herald | Reach plc | 12,795 | -13% | 77 | |
| Sheffield Star | JPIMedia Limited | 12,609 | -14% | ||
| Ipswich – East Anglian Daily Times | Archant Ltd | 12,589 | -11% | ||
| Grimsby Telegraph | Reach plc | 12,578 | -12% | 42 | 10 |
| News Letter | JPIMedia Limited | 12,499 | -9% | 123 | |
| The Post | Reach plc | 11,925 | -22% | 164 | |
| Nottingham Post | Reach plc | 11,777 | -28% | 37 | |
| Dundee Evening & Weekend Telegraph | D C Thomson & Co Ltd | 11,742 | -12% | 43 | |
| Wales – The Western Mail | Reach plc | 11,719 | -13% | ||
| York – The Press | Newsquest Media Group | 11,705 | -11% | 616 | |
| Cardiff – South Wales Echo | Reach plc | 11,659 | -13% | ||
| Bournemouth – The Daily Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 11,293 | -8% | ||
| Bradford – Telegraph & Argus | Newsquest Media Group | 10,671 | -14% | 462 | |
| Coventry Telegraph | Reach plc | 10,606 | -14% | ||
| The Argus Brighton | Newsquest Media Group | 10,003 | -6% | 93 | 1,239 |
| Leeds – Yorkshire Evening Post | JPIMedia Limited | 9,734 | -15% | ||
| Sunderland Echo | JPIMedia Limited | 9,374 | -15% | ||
| The National | Newsquest Media Group | 9,101 | -7% | ||
| Newcastle Journal | Reach plc | 9,083 | -16% | ||
| Huddersfield Daily Examiner | Reach plc | 9,019 | -13% | ||
| Oxford Mail | Newsquest Media Group | 8,599 | -9% | 7 | |
| South Wales Argus | Newsquest Media Group | 8,563 | -13% | 56 | 339 |
| Dorset Echo | Newsquest Media Group | 8,352 | -11% | 3 | |
| Swindon Advertiser | Newsquest Media Group | 8,191 | -7% | 38 | 320 |
| Greenock Telegraph | Newsquest Media Group | 8,116 | -9% | ||
| Colchester – Daily Gazette | Newsquest Media Group | 7,943 | -10% | 36 | |
| Lancashire Post | JPIMedia Limited | 7,916 | -13% | ||
| The Bolton News | Newsquest Media Group | 7,873 | -10% | ||
| Cambridge News | Reach plc | 7,124 | -34% | 81 | |
| Lancashire Telegraph – Blackburn | Newsquest Media Group | 7,023 | -27% | ||
| The Gazette – Blackpool | JPIMedia Limited | 7,010 | -14% | ||
| Norwich – Evening News | Archant Ltd | 6,351 | -15% | ||
| The Leader | Newsquest Media Group | 6,271 | |||
| Worcester News | Newsquest Media Group | 5,925 | -10% | ||
| Burton Mail | Reach plc | 5,872 | -20% | 62 | 340 |
| Ipswich Star | Archant Ltd | 5,423 | -37% | ||
| The Mail | Newsquest Media Group | 5,151 | -15% | 291 | |
| Carlisle – News and Star East | Newsquest Media Group | 4,746 | -12% | 408 | |
| Paisley Daily Express | Reach plc | 4,262 | -6% | ||
| South Shields – Shields Gazette | JPIMedia Limited | 3,727 | -19% | ||
| Hartlepool Mail | JPIMedia Limited | 3,234 | -23% | ||
| Wigan Post | JPIMedia Limited | 2,937 | -13% | 1,223 | |
| Carlisle – News and Star West | Newsquest Media Group | 1,865 | -8% | 194 |
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