• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 1, 2011

Many of the nation’s large and mid-sized regional newspapers saw their daily circulation figures decrease between September 2010 and September 2011, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Although there were some notable exceptions, with several newspapers reporting big increases in weekday circulation, the general trend continues the downward slope in evidence over the last decade.

Out of 100 leading U.S. national and regional newspapers drawn from the ABC report, 73 saw their daily circulation fall over the last year. Fairly typical losses were seen at newspapers including the Phoenix Republic, down 5.2% from 308,974 to 292,838; the Los Angeles Times, down 4.6% from 600,449 to 572,998; The Washington Post, down 7% from 545,345 to 507,465; the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, down 4.2% from 181,504 to 173,884; the Chicago Tribune, down 3.7% from 441,506 to 425,370; the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, down 7.5% from 207,145 to 191,631; and The Boston Globe, down 7.5% from 222,684 to 205,939.

However, there were spots of good news amidst the overall decline.

The New York Times reported a big jump in weekday circulation, surging 31.2% from 876,638 to 1,150,589, apparently largely on the strength of its new online paywall, which requires heavy readers to buy digital subscriptions. The leading New York tabloids also saw weekday circulations increase, with The New York Daily News growing 18.2% from 512,520 to 605,677, while the rival New York Post saw a more modest 2.1% growth from 501,501 to 512,067.

The Wall Street Journal edged up 1.7% from 2,061,142 to 2,096,169. Other strong performers in weekday circulation included the San Jose Mercury News, up 10.5% from 477,595 to 527,568; the Denver Post, up 14% from 309,863 to 353,115; and the Dallas Morning News, up 55% from 264,459 to 409,642.