The Fife newspaper, the Glenrothes Gazette, stands almost alone among Scotland's paid-for regional weeklies as having registered an increase in its average sales between June last year and two months ago.
The paper – edited by Gail Milne, formerly with the free title, the Edinburgh Herald & Post – saw its average circulation rise from 6076 just over 12 months ago to 6206 at the end of June (an increase of 2.1 per cent), according to a biannual review of regional newspaper sales conducted by the Audit Bureau of Circulation.
And among all the other titles featured in the audit, only the Hawick News and Scottish Border Chronicle joined the Glenrothes Gazette in registering a sale rise, this time a more modest 0.2 per cent.
The latest batch of regional circulation figures omits a number of Scots titles – notably from the Scottish Provincial Press, which includes such titles as the North Star and the Ross-shire Journal, and Wyvex Media, which includes the Oban Times and the Argyllshire Advertiser among its titles – mainly because some only participate once a year with the audit.
ABC's press officer, Mark Barber, told allmediascotland.com: “Publishers can report their circulation figures once or twice a year. Scottish Provincial Press release their figures once a year and these are published in February. It is completely up to the publisher how they report their circulation figures.”
Added David Hind, circulation supervisor, Scottish Provincial Press: “Legally, you are only required to one audit of circulation figures a year so Scottish Provincial titles are only included in the ABC audit published in February.”
The figures for the remainder read as follows:
Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser – 14,073 (end of June this year) versus 14,788 (end of June last year) = minus 4.8 per cent
Alloa and Hillfoots Advertiser – 7635/8308/-8.1
Annandale Herald – 2936/3056/-3.9
Annandale Observer – 6098/6340/-3.8
Arbroath Herald – 9227/9661/-4.5
Ayrshire Post – 23,254/24,695/-5.8
Berwick Advertiser – 6993/7391/-5.4
Berwickshire News and East Lothian Herald – 5322/5503/-4.9
Blairgowrie Advertiser – 2309/2614/-11.7
Border Telegraph – 3281/4093/-6.6
Brechin Advertiser – 2852/2947/-3.2
Buchan Observer – 6607/6966/-5.2
The Buteman – 2875/2976/-3.4
Carrick Gazette – 2456/2573/-4.5
Central Fife Times and Advertiser – 5950/6498/-8.4
Cumbernauld News and Kilsyth Chronicle – 8993/10,214/-12
Deeside Pipe – 5520/5758/-4.1
Dumfries and Galloway Standard (Fri) – 14,552/15,461/-5.9
Dumfries and Galloway Standard (Wed) – 8771/9478/-7.5
Dunfermline Press and West Fife Advertiser – 16,626/18,096/-8.1
East Fife Mail – 9903/10,621/-6.8
East Kilbride News – 10,492/11,268/-6.9
East Lothian Courier – 12,710/13,653/-6.9
East Lothian News – 3979/4056/-1.9
Ellon Times and Inverurie Herald – 3325/3559/6.6
Falkirk Herald – 24,145/25,685/-6
Fife Free Press – 13,858/14,857/-6.7
Fife Herald News and St Andrews Citizen – 12,084/12,353/-2
Forfar Dispatch – 4920/5094/-3.4
The Fraserburgh Herald – 5038/5369/-6.2
The Galloway Gazette – 5114/5555/-7.9
The Galloway News – 7821/8300/-5.8
Glenrothes Gazette – 6206/6076/2.1
Hamilton Advertiser – 20,181/21,627/-6.7
Hawick News and Scottish Border Chronicle – 5254/5246/0.2
Irvine Herald and Kilwinning Chronicle – 9639/9547/-5.3
Kilmarnock Standard – 15,639/16,422/-4.8
Kirkintilloch Herald – 10,218/10,829/-5.6
Lanark and Carluke Gazette – 10,733/11,362/5.5
Lennox Herald – 9633/10,611/-9.2
Linlithgowshire Journal and Gazette – 7821/8281/-5.6
Mearns Leader and Kincardineshire Observer – 4448/4998/-11
Midlothian Advertiser – 6596/6687/-1.4
Milngavie and Bearsden Herald – 5775/5999/-3.7
Moffat News – 1112/1141/-2.5
Montrose Review – 4333/4820/-10.1
Motherwell Times and Bellshill Speaker – 12,267/12,763/-3.9
Orcadian – 9297/9532/-2.5
Orkney Today – 4797/5312/-9.7
Peeblesshire News – 4846/5148/-5.9
Perthshire Advertiser (Fri) – 13,673/15,140/-9.7
Perthshire Advertiser (Tues) – 7055/7885/-10.5
Rutherglen Reformer – 3593/3903/-7.9
Southern Reporter – 15,998/16,751/-4.5
Stirling Observer (Fri) – 3573/4084/-12.5
Stirling Observer (Wed) – 8738/9940/-12.1
Stornoway Gazette and West Coast Advertiser – 11,057/11.470/-3.6
Strathearn Herald – 2315/2665/-13.1
Wee County News – 5990/6101/-1.8
West Highland Free Press – 8271/8519/-2.9
West Lothian Courier – 13,813/15,565/-11.3
Wishaw Press – 8161/9160/-10.9
