Well, that's debatable...and mighty arrogant, if I might add.
Circulation numbers tell a different story (click "next" at the link to see the 2nd picture with relevant graph). The P-I plunged from 191,167 in average weekday circulation in 1999 to 126,225 in 2006. Meanwhile, the Times held nearly steady during the same time frame, dropping from 219,692 to 212,691.
A 3% drop versus a 34% nosedive. Voice of the Northwest. Right.
Posted by Eric Earling at April 16, 2007 06:56 PM | Email ThisWith Google News every hicksville paper is up against the New York Times and the Washington Post and the San Jose Mercury News.
Posted by: John Bailo on April 17, 2007 08:12 AMIt would seem that if the playing field had been fairly level or at least honorable, then the PI might not have lost so much circulation. It does seem, however, that the PI gave up a lot when the Times moved to a morning edition.
While the internet has had a profound effect on newspapers all over the USA, there are still segments of the population who prefer to read a newspaper rather than look at a computer screen. Unfortunately, that group does not include many young people, where the readers of the future are.
Posted by: Clean House on April 17, 2007 01:18 PM