THE latest official newspaper circulation figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation show relatively small changes and probably represent a final settling down after the collapse of the Irish Press Group in 1995.
Half of the Irish national newspapers showed increases in sales according to the audited figures for the last six months of 1996.
For those that did increase their circulations, the increases were modest. The highest increase for the period July to December was achieved by the Sunday Business Post, with a 14.48 per cent increase to 37,785 over the same period the previous year.
The Irish Times, at 102,460, has achieved its highest circulation, with sales increasing by 3.63 per cent. The Irish Independent at 160,032 showed a small decline of 0.2 per cent and the Examiner is up 3.96 per cent, to 55,983. The Star at 85,979 recorded a small decrease of less than 1 per bent.
The Evening Herald is down 6.76 per cent, even though it has had a monopoly since the demise of the Evening Press. It sells an average of 113,024 compared to the 121,216 it was selling during the first six months the Evening Press was not on the news-stands. The Cork Evening Echo, at 25,491, is also down by nearly 2 per cent.
The Sunday Independent is up slightly to 342,153, a 0.91 per cent increase. However, the real disappointment must be the Sunday Tribune, at 76,454, down 7.41 per cent. Mr Matt Cooper has been in the editor's chair for only three of the six months under review and recent marketing has probably not been reflected in sales.