Los Angeles Times Posts Increases in Circulation

Los Angeles Times Posts Increases in Individually Paid Copies Daily and Sunday, Takes Down Other Paid Circulation

LOS ANGELES, May 8, 2006 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Los Angeles Times today reported total average paid Sunday circulation of 1,231,318 and Monday-Friday circulation of 851,832 for the six months ended March 31, 2006, according to figures filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). These figures represent an overall copy decline of 5.4 percent daily and 1.8 percent on Sunday.

Compared with the year prior, the six-month report reflects:

* Individually paid circulation increasing by 3,368 copies on average Monday-Friday and 1,275 on Sunday.

* Home delivery now representing an even greater percentage of total circulation, increasing 24,257 Monday-Friday and 32,432 on Sunday.

* Other paid circulation was taken down by 52,112 Monday-Friday and 23,805 on Sunday, with these copies having been primarily distributed to hotels and schools.

* Double-digit growth in readership in Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties and double-digit increases in Sunday circulation in the Inland Empire.

"Our March statement reflects our ongoing focus on home delivery circulation, the part of our readership that means the most to our advertisers, while selectively reducing other paid copies," said Los Angeles Times Publisher Jeff Johnson. "We continue to offer advertisers unparalleled reach in Southern California. With more than 4.6 million adults reading The Times and more than 1.7 million visiting latimes.com every week, our reach surpasses that of any radio, TV, online or print product in this market."

Contributing to the increase in individually paid copies and overall audience growth in print and online, the Los Angeles Times launched several new readership-building initiatives over the past six months, including:

* The new West magazine replaced the weekly Los Angeles Times Magazine
and offers readers an eclectic, insightful and entertaining view of the
many faces of California. The Los Angeles Times is one of the few U.S.
newspapers continuing to publish a unique Sunday color magazine.

* To mark its 125th anniversary covering Southern California, the Los
Angeles Times launched a series of eight special features or themed
sections chronicling the region's history. The first was a 30-page
special section covering 125 years of Southern California sports
history.

* A redesign of pages A-2 and A-3 in the main news section that provides
readers a user-friendly way to navigate the paper and receive a clever,
quick summary of the day's top stories.

* More stories, photographs and multi-part series about Southern
California on Page 1.

* A series of new Business section features that expand coverage of
Southern California's small business and international trade sectors.

* The launch of TheEnvelope.com, the entertainment industry's most
comprehensive, year-round awards show website providing up-to-the-
minute insider coverage throughout the awards season and beyond. In
attracting more than eight million page views in its first months, the
site features breaking news and analysis of all things awards:
business, fashion, celebrities, predictions, trends and pre- and post-
show coverage.

* For the first time, the Los Angeles Times "reverse-published" a full-
color, 20-page Academy Awards(R) preview special section showcasing
unique content from TheEnvelope.com and the newspaper's Calendar and
Business sections.

* Heightened focus on multi-media promotion of upcoming content, series,
special sections and other areas of reader engagement.

About the Los Angeles Times

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of nearly 2.4 million and about 3.4 million on Sunday. With its media businesses and affiliates -- including latimes.com, TheEnvelope.com, Times Community Newspapers, Recycler Classifieds, Hoy, and California Community News -- the Los Angeles Times reaches approximately 7.7 million or 59 percent of all adults in the Southern California marketplace every week.

The Los Angeles Times, which this year marks its 125th anniversary covering Southern California, is part of Tribune Company (TRB), one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting.

Additional information about the Los Angeles Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.

SOURCE Los Angeles Times

David Garcia of the Los Angeles Times, +1-213-237-4715, david.garcia@latimes.com