by Jim Romenesko
poynter.org

From MATT BALDWIN, vice president of research, MediaNews Group: Response to article on 10/28/08, "Post, News Report Drops in Circulation." In over three decades as a media research professional, I'm continually baffled by the newspaper industry's insistence on self-flagellation when it comes to reporting circulation declines and the maddening failure to properly position the reality of media transformation. I cannot recall a single instance of Broadcast Television reporting on plummeting prime-time audiences, channel proliferation or record satellite and dish penetration. I cannot recall a single instance of Radio announcing the number of listeners lost to fragmentation, new formats, HD or satellite radio services.

It's true -- the number of printed newspapers in any given market is changing with the way people choose to get their news and information. In addition, a significant portion of recent circulation declines are due to Audit Bureau of Circulations Board guidelines and advertiser preferences that have markedly reduced the number of “sponsored copies” being distributed, changing the basis for trends and comparisons-it’s not apples to apples comparison. "We'd asked newspapers to really focus on paid, quality circulation," the Journal quoted Dave Walker, whose firm, NSA Media Inc., buys ads for big-box store including Wal-Mart and Home Depot. "They're actually doing what we asked them to do."

Judging a newspaper by the number of copies in the market makes no more sense than counting the number of television sets to evaluate a TV station. To paraphrase a recent United States President, "It's the audience, stupid!"

TV "gets it." Ask about "ratings" for the latest episode of Desperate Housewives, and youll likely be supplied with an aggregated number that includes live viewership, recorded viewership, online viewership and maybe even download statistics. Why? Because it's all about the audience. ... READ FULL STORY