THE Paisley Daily Express newspaper has enjoyed these last 12 months an increase in its average net circulation, according to figures released by the newspaper sales auditing body, the Audit Bureau of Circulation.
Says ABC, the paper’s average 7,567 sales for the six months leading up to the end of June represented a 4.6 per cent increase on six months previously and a 9.9 per cent increase on the same time 12 months before. It’s understood the 9.9 per cent increase is the highest throughout the UK.
The paper was last year relaunched by publishers, Media Scotland, with a new look and editorial offering.
In a Media Scotland statement, editor-in-chief, Allan Rennie, said:
“Tremendous testament to the editorial and sales teams that the Paisley Daily Express is the UK’s best-performing regional daily newspaper. At 9.9 per cent up, year on year, no-one has come close to matching us.
“The Paisley Daily Express is one of our great success stories. Brilliant exclusives, Our Make A Wish campaign to fund local community groups and of course St Mirren lifting the cup all helped boost sales.”
For all Scotland’s other major ‘regional’ newspapers, the picture was one of decreases.
Included in the listing – issued at midday today – are The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, The Herald and the Sunday Herald whose publishers elected last year to no longer have the titles classified as ‘national’, which is subject to monthly public reports.
Regional reports are six-monthly, but – following a shake-up of how measuring is conducted by ABC – almost all Scotland’s local weekly newspapers have elected to report their circulations no longer on a six-monthly basis but an annual one. It means only a few Scots titles are appearing in today’s report.
The Scots’ figures read as follows:
Evening Express – average net circulation, during the six months up to the end of June this year: 38,409 (down 5.7 per cent on the December 2012 figure and down 10.8 per cent on the June 2012 one);
The Press and Journal: 65,482, down 1.8 per cent and down 4.6 per cent;
The Courier: 52,348, down 1.7 per cent and down 6.9 per cent;
Evening Telegraph: 20,734, down 3.3 per cent and down 7.8 per cent;
Edinburgh Evening News: 30,176, down 7.2 per cent and down 15.3 per cent;
Evening Times: 39,234, down 7.5 per cent and down 14.6 per cent;
The Herald: 41,030, down 4.9 per cent and n/a (since relatively new to ‘regional reporting’);
Paisley Daily Express: 7,567, up 4.6 per cent and up 9.9 per cent;
Scotland on Sunday: 37,407, n/a and n/a;
The Scotsman: 31,326, n/a and n/a;
Sunday Herald: 24,881, n/a and n/a;
Aberdeen Citizen (free newspaper): 52,892, down 0.2 per cent and down 0.3 per cent;
Inverness Scene (free): 16,054, up 7.3 per cent and up 7.4 per cent;
Northern Scot Mid Week Extra (free): 21,325, down 1.5 per cent and down 4.5 per cent; and
West Highland Free Press: 7,572, down 2.3 per cent and down 4.2 per cent.
