Message From David Hiller - Publisher LAT

From: Hiller, David
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 10:54 AM
Subject: Announcing March Circulation Results

Folks,

We announced our circulation numbers for the most recent six months, and I’d call them relatively positive. Our daily individually paid circulation INCREASED a tick to 779,256. Individually paid includes home delivery and single copy sales (it excludes “Other Paid” circulation to hotels, Times in Education). We focus on individually paid because it is the audience reflecting most value to readers and advertisers. Total daily circulation declined 4.2% as we continued to reduce “Other Paid” circulation. I expect our daily individually paid numbers will be among the best in the industry, including among papers in our market.

Sunday circulation was softer than we would have liked. Individually paid was down 3.6% to 1,159,844 and total Sunday circulation was down 4.7% including reductions in “Other Paid” circulation. We are working to get a better trend on Sunday.
All in all, we remain the largest and best-reach media vehicle in Southern Cal. In an age of fragmenting media, that’s still saying a lot. Our press release, which you can see on Timeslink also calls attention to all the new print and online features we have been offering to readers and users, including the new Image, Travel, and Sunday Business sections.

Speaking of connecting to readers, I hope many of you had a chance to be at the Festival of Books this past weekend and the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes on Friday night, all held on the magnificent UCLA campus. It was inspiring, moving and exhilarating to be celebrating reading and writing with well over 100,000 of our friends and neighbors. It is a wonderful thing that The Times does for the community, and I was so proud and moved to hear from so many people how much this means and what a positive thing it is. It was a total company effort, like most of our great moments. I will get a separate note out to thank everybody involved – it was a big number of our colleagues. A great reminder of why we do what we do, and how it touches and lifts up our community.

David

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times Management