JCOM 2300: Fighting of Circulation

Several recent study polls have released the circulation numbers for newspapers. One poll has The Wall Street Journal overtaking USA Today as America's most circulated newspaper. The study included online subscriptions as well as print subscriptions. USA countered by showing a poll that shows that they are by far the largest print circulation newspaper in America. It is obvious with the way things have been going in the newspaper industry that it has become a point of pride for the newspaper companies.

A few things that PR pros said about the circulation debate really hit home with me. If you are USA Today don't focus on how many print copies of your paper you put out daily. That number is becoming more and more obsolete. Many people don't even pick up a print paper anymore. It is much easier to access things online at anytime from any computer or smart phone. USA Today would be better served if they focused on free access to the site and great features of their online newspaper. The Wall Street Journal charges online subscription fees which if framed right could be a huge advantage for USA Today and other papers that are free online. The focus for the future of newspapers is electronic. If they want to survive they need to be smarter and offer more features online than their competitors. The newspapers that beat the others to this are the ones that will be able to survive the next ten to twenty years as things become more and more electronic.