The Dundee newspaper, the Evening Telegraph, has seen its circulation rise over the last twelve months, bucking a national trend of newspaper sales falls.
Says the Audit Bureau of Circulation, the paper – part of the DC Thomson publishing group – registered a net average circulation for the six months up to the end of June of 23,331. Compared to the average 23,331 for the six months leading up to the end of December last year, that meant a 1.3 per cent increase. It was an even more impressive 1.6 per cent increase, on 23,269, when it came to the paper's year-on-year figures.
Over 99 per cent of its circulation is paid for, at 40p per copy.
Said editor, Richard Prest: “Everyone at the Evening Telegraph is delighted by our success in the recent round of ABC figures. That fact that this is our third consecutive ABC increase is even more pleasing.
“The achievement has been a real team effort. We've produced a fantastic newspaper that has a real focus on its target markets. We've also remained true to our values of trying to get the biggest stories on our patch first.
“The increase in sales also comes at an exciting time, with the team having recently redesigned the paper while preparing for the introduction of a new editorial system that will help us continue to produce a vibrant, modern and targeted product that is clearly being enjoyed by the readers.”
However, it wasn't such good news for the other daily and evening regional titles in Scotland.
The ABC regional figures come out every six months. As ever, the average net circulation figure for Aberdeen's Press and Journal far eclipses those of The Scotsman and The Herald. But standing at an everage 71,044 for the six months leading up to the end of June nevertheless represented a fall on six months previously (72,767, down 2.4 per cent) and 12 months previously (74,457, down 4.6 per cent).
Sister, evening title, the Evening Express, saw its June-end average register at 47,849 (down 2.9 per cent on six months previously (49,253) and down 5.5 per cent on the year before (50,630)).
Meanwhile, the Evening Telegraph's daily sister, The Courier, saw its June-end average of 61,981 down 1.7 per cent on six months previously (63,052) and down 4.7 per cent on 12 months previously (65,012).
In the capital, the figures for the Edinburgh Evening News were 39,947 (end of June), 41,968 (end of December – down 4.8 per cent) and 43,046 (end of June last year).
The corresponding figures for the Evening Times in Glasgow were 52,400, 54,255 (down 3.4 per cent) and 56,843 (down 7.8 per cent).
For the Greenock Telegraph, the figures were 14,342, 14,720 (down 2.6 per cent) and 15,186 (down 5.6 per cent).
And, meanwhile, the figures for the Paisley Daily Express were 7,538, 7,726 (down 2.4 per cent) and 7,963 (down 5.3 per cent).
More to follow, regarding weekly newspapers around the country …
