Trouble for The Guardian and The Observer?

I hope so.

From Greenspin quoting the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Between April 2003 and April 2004, the daily sales of The Guardian fell by 17,357, or -4.35%. The average daily sale is now only 381,449, which is but 14.32% of the quality national daily newspaper market, or a minuscule 3.14% of the total daily national newspaper market. And this is despite a large increase in the number of weekly supplements issued by the paper (including the new 'Life' supplement on science).

The story for The Observer is perhaps worse. The average Sunday sale is currently 450,119, which represents 16.30% of the quality Sunday national newspaper market and a mere 3.55% of the total Sunday national newspaper market. Losses on April 2003 were 5,363 (-1.18%). But the problems appear to be accelerating, with losses in April 2004 on March 2004 looking worryingly bad at 2,138 (i.e., -0.47% in one month). This is not surprising, because the Saturday Guardian is now largely indistinguishable from its Sunday stablemate and people are tending to buy only one weekend paper.

The causes for these declines are, therefore, multiple (including online blogging?), and, of course, they reflect a general fall in newspaper sales (only a couple of titles are showing significant rises). But, more specifically, The Guardian has been badly hit by the new competitive tabloid versions of both The Independent and The Times (the former benefiting from a large percentage rise in its circulation, the latter from a smaller rise).

The Observer seems, however, to be in particularly serious trouble. It is being alleged that it has lost some £100 million over the last ten years since The Guardian took it over, which appears to have been a bad deal for both The Observer (which once had its own distinctive brand) and The Guardian. According to media rumours, this oldest of Sunday newspapers (founded in 1791) is now under review. The Guardian itself will probably have to go tabloid in the near future.

Now that's good news!
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