By: Mark Fitzgerald The paid circulations of Spanish-language dailies are not just stalling anymore --- they?re slipping backwards.
La Opinion, the Los Angeles published by impreMedia, remained the nation?s largest Spanish-language paid-circulation daily, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations FAS-FAX report released Monday. But it took a huge circulation hit in the six-month period ended March 31. La Opinion daily circulation fell 19.67% to 92,289. On Sundays, traditionally a weak day for the paper, circulation slid 14.66% to 47,810.
But La Opinion Publisher and CEO Monica Lozano disputes any interpretation that the newspaper?s circulation fall mimics the declines among mainstream dailies.
La Opinion doubled its single-copy price to 50 cents from a quarter during the reporting period -- and expected the decline of circulation.
?Of course, we?re down, but we?re down frankly because we raised our cover price,? she said Monday evening. ?We expected a 20% decline, and we came in almost exactly at that number. I would say there were three reasons circ went down: the price increase, economic decline with the highest unemployment among Hispanics, and a free daily newspaper in the market.?
On March 30, a day before the ABC reporting period ended, Tribune Co. announced it was converting the Los Angeles edition of Hoy, a free-distribution Spanish-language tabloid, from daily to weekly publication. The Chicago edition of Hoy continues to publish weekdays with a weekend total market coverage (TMC) product.
Lozano said La Opinion?s circulation has increased ?nicely? since Hoy ceased daily publication.
?I just don?t think it?s necessarily accurate to say we?re going the way of English-language newspapers,? said Lozano, who added the paper also deliberately cut some distribution to outlying areas such as Las Vegas.
In the fall 2008 reporting period, the New York City impreMedia-owned daily El Diario La Prensa recorded the biggest percentage gain circulation among all dailies. But in Monday?s FAS-FAX, El Diario dipped 2% to 52,780 on weekdays and 3.87% to 35,729 on Sundays.
El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language sibling of The McClatchy Co.?s Miami Herald, fell by 10.8% on weekdays so 71,318. Sunday circ was down 2.9% at 85,459.
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