Circulation of the Sunday Inquirer, the main revenue-producing issue for the region's largest newspaper, grew by 4,870 copies, or 1 percent, to 482,457 over the last year, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations for the six-month period ending Sept. 30.
At the same time, The Inquirer's circulation on weekdays rose about 600 copies a day, to 260,375, compared with the period that ended in September 2010, according to the audit bureau and company figures Tuesday.
Daily News circulation on weekdays fell 14 percent over the year, to 70,750 copies from 82,581, according to ABC and company figures.
Figures reported to the ABC are the combined Inquirer/Daily News circulation. The combined daily figures were 331,134 for the six-month period ending Sept. 30 and 342,361 for the year-ago period.
"The circulation [gain] on Sunday, while not massive, still speaks volumes about our continued commitment to investigative journalism and deep enterprise," said Stan Wischnowski, editor of The Inquirer. "We continue to target the Sunday paper for our signature work. We still have a long ways to go, but any gain in this unforgiving economy is encouraging."
Mark Block, vice president of external relations for Philadelphia Media Network Inc., said this was the first September reporting period since 2004 in which the Sunday and daily editions of The Inquirer had gained circulation.
More local and regional news in The Inquirer's A-section, including signature investigative pieces, and upgraded section fronts have resonated with Inquirer readers, Block said. The integration of online news stories and social media also has boosted the newspaper's appeal as a resource, he said.
The Daily News was redesigned and reformatted in late July. "We're very optimistic," Block said of Daily News circulation.
