Pulitzer Revenue Up 1.2% in April

By: E&P Staff Pulitzer Inc. said Tuesday its revenue increased 1.2% for the five-week accounting period ended May 1, mostly on a strong performance by its newspapers outside the St. Louis market and rebounding classified and national preprint advertising.

Pulitzer said in the 18 weeks to May 1 revenue is up 2.7% over the same period in 2004.

Overall advertising revenue in St. Louis and the 12 markets served by Pulitzer Newspapers Inc. (PNI) dailies and community papers increased 2.1%, but most of that was due to PNI performance. Pulitzer said advertising revenues in the April period were unchanged at its flagship St. Louis Post-Dispatch and its suburban weeklies, while PNI advertising revenue was up 7% compared to last year.

On a comparable basis, excluding the results of PNI acquisitions absent in the comparable periods of 2004, total revenue increased 0.7% for the period ended May 1, and was up 2.2% in the 18-week year-to-date period, Pulitzer said.

Comparable retail advertising revenue, including preprints, decreased 2.4% in April, principally because of weakness in the department store and financial categories, Pulitzer said. Retail ROP revenue decreased 5.2% in St. Louis and increased 0.2% percent at PNI. Comparable retail preprint revenue decreased 0.3% in St. Louis and decreased 1.2% at PNI, Pulitzer said.

National advertising revenue, including preprints, increased 10.4% in April over the same period last year. Pulitzer said that was largely the result of strength in the financial and national automotive and technology categories, partially offset by weakness in the entertainment, telecommunication, and pharmaceutical
categories.

Comparable national preprint revenue increased 30.4% for the period and comparable national ROP revenue increased 5.5%. Comparable national advertising revenue, including preprints, increased 12.0% in St. Louis while decreasing 8.2% percent at PNI.

Overall comparable classified revenue increased 4.9% over the 2004 period, Pulitzer said.

Help-wanted classified was up strongly at the PNI papers, increasing 34% in April. In St. Louis the increase in help-wanted was 3.7%. Automotive was down both in St. Louis, where it was off 5.8%, and at PNI, where it decreased 6.0%. Real estate classified was up 9.4% at St. Louis, and 11.4% at PNI.