'Pioneer Press' Circ Up For Fourth Consecutive Reporting Period

By: E&P Staff For the fourth consecutive Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) FAS-FAX period, the Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minn., on Monday reported an increase in daily and Sunday circulation.

The growth was modest -- up 103 copies, or 0.1%, on weekdays, and up 333 copies, or 0.1%, on Sundays -- but a welcome counter to industry trends, said Publisher Guy Gilmore.

Pioneer Press readership also reached a 10 year high, according to the most recent study by the Gallup Organization, Gilmore said.

"The print readership numbers are significant, and reinforce the fact that we continue to experience quality growth in paid circulation, rather than growth based on discounts," he said in a statement. "Home delivery is up, print and online readership are up and circulation revenue and profitability are up, as well."

Gilmore said the results are a payoff from its strategy, launched in 1998, of concentrating on "intensely local news and distinctive coverage" readers can't find anywhere else.

The Pioneer Press Publisher's Statement totals for the six-month period ending Sept. 30 show Monday through Friday circulation of 184,474, up 103 copies, or 0.1%, and Sunday circulation of 245,930, up 333 copies, or 0.1% .

The newspaper's Audience-FAX figures show the combination of the print paper and its TwinCities.com Web site have a net adult reach for the 30-day measurement period of more than 1 million in the Twin Cities Designated Market Area, which covers 51 counties in Minnesota and six in Wisconsin.