More bad news at The Herald

As I predicted last month, circulation figures released today for the latest reporting period show the Herald's readership continuing its sharp decline.

"...daily circ [at the Herald] was down 11.8% to 210,884. Sunday was down 9% to 279,484."

By comparison "The Orlando Sentinel lost 3.3% of its daily circ to 206,363 and about the same on Sunday (-3.2%) to 307,976 copies" which means the Orlando Sentinel now has a larger Sunday circulation than the Herald.

The Herald once boasted the largest circulation of any paper in Florida. The St. Petersburg Times now has a larger daily and Sunday circulation than the Herald.

And as the latest fiigures show, The Orlando Sentinel has surpassed the Herald's Sunday readership and has posted smaller daily circulation losses than the Herald. It's quite possible that if the Herald continues to experience similar circulation losses that it will find itself as the state's third largest newspaper.

The Herald has posted an AP story on their site on the just released circulation figures but it doesn't contain any info on their own dismal numbers. It will be interesting to see if they have a local angle to this story in the paper tomorrow.

Some analysts are already dissecting the latest circulation numbers and reading between the lines. Former Knight Ridder exec Ken Doctor explains what he believes is behind the double-digit declines in circulation at some newspapers:

"One big reason the numbers are declining is the product itself. In the last year, we've seen unprecedented cuts in the product -- and the customers are noticing. It looks like the amount of newsprint is down about 10-15%; some in stories, some in ads. Trusted bylines have disappeared overnight. Readers notice, and talk to their friends, and they're saying: it's not the newspaper it used to be. When the subscription notices come, they're a little less likely to be acted upon."

I couldn't agree more, especially when it comes to the Herald.