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Inishowen Independent v Inish Times Week 2

Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010

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Battle to Death

It's Week Two of the battle to the death between the Inish Times and the Inishowen Independent.

It appears that there is no winner between the two and that they are both losing circulation (at least in Moville) since the Inish Times swapped to coming out on Tuesday rather than Wednesday.

Indeed, local newsagents are saying thet they are the losers and don't understand why three of the four local newspapers have to come out on the same day.

Returns

It's clear that both can't survive unless something gives.

Some shops returned around a third of their copies of both the Inish Times and Inishowen Independent last week when they would normally only return about 10%.

That suggests that coming out on the same day has meant that people are now choosing.

Numbers

At least in some shops, sales have dropped by about a quarter.

The weekly Inish Times circulation was assessed at last 5,486 last June.

According to Wikipedia (not always right) the circulation of the Inishowen Independent is thought to be a maximum of 2,800.

Difficult Times

These are already difficult times with advertising revenues plunging.

This drop in sales can't continue for too long.

One newagent said that, although some people are still buying both newspapers, that is likely to change in the next few weeks as the news is pretty much the same in both.

Which One

Indeed, already, some people are looking at the two piles on the counter and asking "which one will I buy"?

Obviously the headlines must be important if people see so little between the newspapers.

I spent 12.5 minutes reading the Inish Times this week, 12 minutes reading the Inny Inny and 11 minutes reading the Tuesday Journal.

So, there only a matter of seconds between the two competitors.

Front Page

So, which of them had the better front page headlines?

Both were about Buncrana so it was difficult to judge.

I would have judged them about the same level for the main headline.

I'd give this week's front page slightly to the Inny Inny this week with its cheeky front page taster "Cecilia Keaveney on the Fiddle" which refers to Cecilia playing at the TraddFest in moville at the end of the month.

One would hope that Cecilia wouldn't tell the Inny's owner's mother on him (Donal Campbell's mother is her election agent).

Draw

So, with the Inish Times slightly ahead on time and the Inny Inny slightly ahead on front page I would have to declare it a draw this week.

Is the Inny Inny's claim that it is a locally owned newspaper having an effect in the battle?

It is to some extent, when you ask people, but one doesn't know if it is people who already bought it for that reason or whether people are swapping for that reason.

The numbers left of both newspapers seem to suggest that any new effect is marginal certainly at the moment.

This Week

So, how are sales going this week so far?

Just as slowly as last week at the moment.

The Tuesday Journal is barely affected, it seems, by the battle and the Friday Journal is the major winner with no competitors out within three days of it - and at least one shop completely sold out of it.

Surely one of the newspapers has got to get the message soon and swap dates.