The Santa Maria Times was the only major daily in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties to increase its circulation over the one-year period from Sept. 30, 2006, to Sept. 30, 2007, according to figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

In fact, the Times was among just 17 newspapers and newspaper groups that reported circulation increases for weekday editions among the 60 California newspapers and groups that submitted circulation figures to the ABC.

The Times Monday-through-Friday average circulation was 19,589, up from 19,304 a year earlier, according to the ABC. The newspaper’s Sunday edition also showed an increase, from 19,678 last year to 19,700 this year.

Only the Saturday edition showed a decline, from 17,614 in 2006 to 17,381 in 2007, which Circulation Director Rich Macke attributed to fewer single-copy purchases on that day.

Other major dailies in the two-county area showed decreases in average circulation for the weekday editions as well as Saturday and Sunday editions, according to the ABC.

The Tribune in San Luis Obispo showed a decline in weekday circulation from 37,458 in 2006 to 36,173 in 2007; in Sunday circulation from 43,074 to 42,050; and in Saturday circulation from 38,214 to 37,715.

The Santa Barbara News-Press showed the greatest decline, with weekday circulation falling from 39,323 in 2006 to 33,755 in 2007; Sunday circulation dropping from 40,801 to 34,746; and Saturday circulation falling from 39,053 to 33,017.

Advertisement

Circulation also dropped at the Lompoc Record, a member of Lee Central Coast Newspapers, parent group of the Santa Maria Times.

Average weekday circulation at the Record dropped from 6,604 in 2006 to 5,641 in 2007; Sunday circulation dropped from 6,407 to 5,737. The Record doesn’t publish on Saturdays.

Circulation has continuously increased for the Santa Maria Times since September 2005, which Publisher Cynthia Schur attributed to both the newspaper content as well as the circulation staff’s efforts.

“We have a solid news product, and we work diligently at retaining our subscribers and creating new single-copy sales locations,” Schur said.

Macke agreed.

“Our thing is retention, making sure we can keep people for longer periods,” he said.

“By providing them with good service, we make them want to stay with us.”

Macke said the newspaper concentrates on providing readers with incentives for longer subscription periods through cost savings on one-year terms over three- and six-month terms.

Although 43 daily newspapers and groups reported declines in average weekday circulation, some showed increases for Sunday or Saturday editions.

Conversely, a few of the 17 that showed weekday increases reported declines in Saturday and Sunday circulation.

The Los Angeles Times was the largest daily reporting an increase in weekday circulation.

Others reporting increases included the Eureka Times-Standard, the Hayward Review, the Los Angeles Star-News, the Los Angeles County Breeze, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, the Pleasanton Tri-Valley Herald, the Redding Record Searchlight, the San Bernardino Sun and the Victorville Daily Press.

Among the major dailies reporting weekday circulation declines were the Bakersfield Californian, the Fresno Bee, the Los Angeles Daily News, La Opinion in Los Angeles, the Modesto Bee, the Orange County Register, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the Sacramento Bee, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, the Ventura Star and the Contra Costa Times.

With more than 4,000 members in North America, ABC is a forum of the world’s leading magazine and newspaper publishers, advertisers and advertising agencies.

The organization provides independent, third-party circulation audits of print circulation, readership and Web site activity.