New Directory Shows Prolific Community Press p.3

By: Editorial Staff U.S. COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS and shoppers have a circulation of nearly 100 million, according to the new Editor & Publisher/ Free Paper Publisher Community, Specialty & Free Publications Year Book.
Publication of the debut edition of the annual directory marks the first time these data have been gathered and displayed in a comprehensive form.
The book includes a total of 6,580 community weeklies, including 4,106 paid and 931 free, plus 1,257 shoppers publishing 3,111 zoned editions.
The community weeklies have a paid circulation of 20.4 million and free circulation of 25.4 million.
The shoppers include 54.3 million in free circulation and paid circulation totaling 119,819.
The directory also includes information on 740 Canadian community newspapers and 60 Canadian shoppers ? with combined circulation of 11.1 million.
The yearbook also contains current information on hundreds of specialty papers, including 102 alternative, 183 black, 168 ethnic, 36 gay and lesbian, 125 Hispanic, 94 Jewish, 145 military, 105 parenting, 104 real estate, 131 religious, and 100 senior papers operating in the United States, plus four alternative and 52 ethnic papers in Canada.
Listings include over 200 weekly newspaper groups in the United States and Canada, as well as alternate delivery companies, newspaper brokers, national and state associations, national and state advertising representatives, and syndicated TMC publications.
Also of note is the directory shows that among U.S. community weeklies, the most popular publication day is Thursday, when 3,001 papers hit the streets.
Only 38 papers publish on Thursday in Canada, making it the least common publication day in that nation.
Illinois has the most community weeklies, 455, Hawaii the fewest, five.
The book costs $99 and is available as of Nov. 12 from Editor & Publisher Co. in New York.
Editor & Publisher, now in its 112th year, also publishes Editor & Publisher magazine, Free Paper Publisher Inc. magazine, Editor & Publisher International Year Book, Editor & Publisher Market Guide (U.S. and Canada), U.S. Market Forecasts (first printing in December 1996), the Syndicate Directory, the Interactive Services Directory, and the Journalism Awards Guide.
There are 6,580 community
weeklies, including 4,106 paid and 931 free, plus 1,257 shoppers