Leader Circulation Down Again

Wrexham is continuing to reflect the national trend of dropping newspaper circulations, with a further decline revealed in recent figures.

Back in September we wrote how the Leader had opted out of ABC figures on circulation, using JICREG data to display the information instead.

JICREG have updated their stats (source) for ‘The Leader – Wrexham & Chester’, showing an overall -4.6% decrease in circulation.

Using the definition of a ‘Wrexham Circulation’ to be Wrexham, Wrexham Rural, Rhos and Llangollen the Daily Post has a circulation of 4242 against the Leader’s 6689.

We believe this is a fair definition as the JICREG stats for the free ‘Big’ Leader (not the daily paid edition) in the area is given as totalling 30,250. This is broken down to the areas of Wrexham, Wrexham Rural and Rhos – with no Llangollen added.

When we did our first round up of the ABC’s back in 2012 the Leader was selling 15,000+ copies of their Wrexham, Chester and Flintshire editions combined. This was split to 9,131 of those being the ‘Wrexham’ edition.

This Press Gazette article quotes the Wrexham Evening Leader as having a circulation of 21,159 in 2008 down from 5.8% ‘year on year’, which we assume refers to 2007.

As we have written before the local decline in newspaper circulations is not solely a local issue, with double digit declines and even closures of newspapers nationally.

The JICREG breakdown for the Trinity Mirror publication the Daily Post is here, showing the strength of sales in North Wales with Caernarfon being the highest.

Wrexham’s Daily Post publication has not been part of the latest Trinity Mirror restructure, where seven regional newspapers are being closed. Media commentator Steve Dyson wrote on Guardian.com speculating if Trinity Mirrors ‘digital experiment’ is ‘the end’ for local papers.

For those interested you can read the Trinity Mirror statement on their changes in Berkshire here, with a wider company statement issued this month (here) explaining their new ‘vision’.