Newspaper sales in Scotland

[Gypsum_Fantastic]

Are the newspapers in Scotland in terminal decline? Far be it for me to suggest that it might be because their agenda is out of touch with the silent majority in this country.

Daily Record

780,000 - September 1994

625,000 - September 2000

440,000 - December 2005

The Sun (Scotland)

380,000 - September 1994

415,000 - September 2000

356,000 - December 2005

The Herald

116,000 - June 1993

95,000 - September 2000

75,000 - December 2005

Sunday Mail

780,000 - September 1994

741,000 - June 2000

538,000 - December 2005

Glasgow Evening Times

136,000 - March 1996

108,000 - March 2000

95,000 - January 2005


The rise of the Internet as an explanation is a powerful argument and cannot be entirely ignored. However, current affairs magazines and other newspapers do well nationally -

Private Eye

January 1995 - 184,000

October 2001 - 188,000

August 2005 - 210,000

The Economist

June 1996 - 105,000

November 2000 - 125,000

August 2005 - 155,000

The Spectator

July 1994 - 50,000

April 2000 - 60,000

December 2005 - 70,000

Nationally, the Daily Mail has risen from 1.8 million copies in the early 1990's to 2.4 million copies in 2006. The Daily Mail is often mocked, particularly by the Left, as a reactionary publisher of Middle England prejudices. But it perfectly reflects the views of its readership. It produces the 'yeah, that's right' response, i.e. someone reading Littlejohn or Heffer or one of the other articles in the Mail will mumble to themselves 'yeah, that's right'. How many times would a Scotsman do that with The Herald or Daily Record?

If Scottish newspapers were so convinced that the Internet was stealing their readership then a simple solution would be to introduce subscription-only websites. However, when The Herald tried this with its Monday morning sports coverage, it found so little takers that it quickly reverted back to free to view. The Scottish Sun is also unavailable on the web and the Evening Times does not go online until the following day.

I'm convinced that there is a silent majority in Scotland whose views are not served by the Scottish media in general - including the likes of the BBC - and this goes some way to explaining the apparent decline of these titles.

[ANDY-J3]

How many Scots buy a newspaper because it reflects their political views? The Sun adopts a viewpoint that is radically opposed to my own in the case of Iraq for example but I buy it nevertheless because it is a good read and because I like its horse racing and football coverage. I buy the Daily Record for the same reason. I would think that a majority of Scots don't regard the political viewpoints of any given newspaper as the main influence on their buying it. The reason for declining sales is without doubt the increase in internet access. I belong to a generation that habitually buys daily newspapers however there is a younger generation for whom the internet will be their main source of information.

[Gypsum_Fantastic]

Andy, I accept that newspaper buying has historical factors in Scotland both in terms of frequency and choice. And I accept that one might not purchase the Daily Record for its consistent political viewpoint - I'm sure the Daily Record, for example, was opposed to PFI under the Tories but have been broadly supportive of it under Labour.

Yet everyone is politically aware, or has a political compass, even if they're not politically active and are unaware of it. Someone may instinctively support the monarchy or non-interventionist economic policy even if they were i) unaware of that's what you would call it, ii) unable to articulate what they believe or iii) never really considered it. In this case, they may simply be turned off by the editorial line of a newspaper even if they are unable to articulate it as such or would frame it in those terms.

And, if the Internet was an issue then, as I've said, it would impact only on those newspapers who offer daily online content - not all of them do. It would also be reflected nationally, in the UK, but it is not - at least not for some newspapers.

It's said that the Daily Mail reflects the English psyche. Certainly, once you go south of Birmingham you find the Mail is a popular newspaper and its editorial line resonates with the political views of the majority. Does the Daily Record, the best selling newspaper in Scotland, reflect the Scottish psyche in the same way? Is there a 'Daily Record belt' somewhere in Scotland that I've never come across where the views of Joan Burnie and Bob Shields carry weight?

[NovaBritannia]

Originally Posted by Gypsum_Fantastic

It produces the 'yeah, that's right' response, i.e. someone reading Littlejohn or Heffer or one of the other articles in the Mail will mumble to themselves 'yeah, that's right'. How many times would a Scotsman do that with The Herald or Daily Record?

I have a passionate hate of Heffer. I don't think I've ever agreed with a word out of his bloody mouth. He's a bloody ignorant oaf in my opinion.

The Daily Mail does appeal to populism, perhaps in a way that most tabloids (or indeed broadsheets) wouldn't. A good thing? Not in my opinion, but I'm usually quite far away from the views of the majority...

Incidently, I edited a student newspaper once. Only way to get something decent to read...

[Scottish_Republican]

Does the P&J still outsell the Scotsman, our "national newspaper"?

[teashoci]

readers of papers

THE SUN - persons currently serving time in prison or learning how to read etc.

THE ECONOMIST - persons working in a business enviroment etc

DAIL RECORD - all sorts of persosn who enjoy local news but realize a lot of it is exagerated and some of it is made up.

DAILY EXPRESS - right wing tories who have no right to live and breathe in scotland

[NovaBritannia]

So let me guess, you flit between the Daily Retard and the Economist because one of your lecturers told you to read it for your course...