The Huntington County TAB and newspapers such as ours were the early pioneers in total market circulation, and have become the trend-setters in the newspaper business. Once scoffed at and ridiculed by the paid newspaper industry and given names like “throw-aways,” “shoppers,” and worse, newspapers such as ‘The TAB’ have now become the industry “business model.”
Advertisers are facing a large variety of choices in advertising media and paid newspapers are facing a dwindling base in subscriptions.
Because of this, most newspapers are forced to offer some alternative to their outdated subscription-based delivery system. Following industry trends in the newspaper business, many of them are moving to free total market distribution newspapers.
The Huntington County TAB has always offered a Total Market Circulation, or as it is more commonly referred to in the industry, “TMC.” It is our only business and as such we have taken constant steps to maintain and improve the quality of news and advertising, as well as the integrity of our distribution.
Subscription-based newspapers† continue to struggle while trying to maintain a daily paid circulation and still compete in a market of broader circulation newspapers. Many offers are made with combinations to entice advertisers to use their lower circulation days at a reduced pick-up rate disguised as a “deal,” claiming 1/2 price or more. In reality, however, the cost is a premium rate when you factor in they are reaching only a little more than 35% of the county’s households.
Another gimmick dailies use to try to maintain their daily base is to offer special sections and news features on the “off” days to keep costs down and lure people into subscribing. While this may be helpful to the newspaper in building subscriptions, it is not fair to the advertiser. The advertiser may not always be totally aware of when a special section is being distributed, and if it is an “off” day they will only be receiving 35% market saturation.
With ‘The TAB’ you can always be assured you will be reaching the most complete distribution in the market because both issues, Monday and Thursday, are TMC deliveries with a circulation of 15,400 copies each issue distributed to 97.5% of Huntington County’s households along with fringe areas of surrounding counties. ‘The TAB’ is the only area newspaper† to offer two TMC distributions in a week - and when we say 1/2 price, you get 1/2 price.
| † Other Area Newspapers |
** Paid
Circulation |
Primary
County |
* % of
Primary Co. |
| The Herald Press, Huntington |
5,650 |
Huntington |
22.6 |
| Chronicle Tribune, Marion |
12,920 |
Grant |
40.7 |
| Wabash Plain Dealer, Wabash |
3,177 |
Wabash |
22.0 |
| The News Journal, N. Manchester |
822 |
Wabash |
5.7 |
| The News Banner, Bluffton |
4,555 |
Wells |
39.2 |
| Columbia City Post & Mail, Col. City |
2,806 |
Whitley |
20.2 |
| County |
Population |
Housing Units |
| Huntington |
36,726 |
16,142 |
| Grant |
64,544 |
31,731 |
| Wabash |
30,982 |
14,472 |
| Wells |
26,837 |
11,674 |
| Whitley |
32,291 |
13,908 |
Source: Americam Community Survey released Dec. 14, 2010, a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
* % of primary county is based on total paid circulation in primary county compared to housing units and assuming all distribution is in primary county. Actual percentage will be lower depending on number of out-of-county or mailing subscriptions for each newspaper.
** Source of circulation figures: Publishers’ statements and/or 2011 United States Postal Service statement of ownership, management and circulation published in the corresponding newspapers.
