KR Ad Revenue Down 1.1% In April

By: E&P Staff April 2006 total ad revenue for Knight Ridder newspapers was down 1.1% compared to April 2005, the chain reported Thursday.

Knight Ridder results for April were calculated on a pro forma basis, as if it owned the three newspapers it acquired in August 2005, and excluding results from the Detroit and Tallahassee papers sold at that time.

The softness was led by the national category, which was down 9.4%, and retail, which was off 2.2%.

Classified revenue was up 3.1%, aided by a jump of 13.5% in real estate and 6.2% in help wanted that offset a decline of 9.3% in automotive.

"Our April, like others in the industry, reflects some softness, particularly in classified, as a result of the Easter shift," Knight Ridder Chairman and CEO Tony Ridder said in a statement. "Happily, May -- at least at this early stage -- is showing stronger results, leaving us optimistic that the month will reinvigorate the quarter."

Ridder noted that total advertising revenue was up 0.6% at the 20 newspapers that will be retained by The McClatchy Co. from its recent acquisition of Knight Ridder. He said total ad revenue at the remaining 12 papers McClatchy has sold or is selling was down 3.5%.

Retail was up 8.9% at the flagship San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News and 3.5% at the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press. It was flat at The Miami Herald and Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. Retail was "off slightly" at its Philadelphia dailies, Knight Ridder said, but down 4.4% at The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, and 7.9% at The Kansas City Star.

Classified results varied widely by market, Knight Ridder said. Its Contra Costa, Calif., paper was up 17.4% in April, and increased 4.6% in San Jose. Classified was down 7.3% in Philadelphia, pressured by a 20.3% fall-off in help wanted, which Knight Ridder attributed to the Easter shift.

On a pro forma basis, circulation was down 1.0%.