Huge readership gains push Metro to top spot

Metro has become the number one newspaper in Philadelphia for readers between ages 21 and 49 and despite trying economic times grew significantly in overall readership from 2011 to 2012, according to a new survey.

A report by Scarborough Research on the state of the newspaper industry’s circulation in the greater Philadelphia region showed that Metro was the only major publication to make gains in readership between August 2011 and July 2012.

Metro’s ridership grew a massive 20 percent year-on-year, topping out at almost 310,000 each day. It was the only major print publication — including the Inquirer, Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly and City Paper — to see growth in readership over the last year.

The survey of 4,800 readers in the Philadelphia region also found that for the first time in its 13-year history, Metro placed first among readers 21 to 49 years of age. More than 174,000 readers in that age group read Metro while 173,500 read the Inquirer and 160,000 read the Daily News consistently.

During a period when Metro added 52,000 readers, the report found, the Inquirer lost 127,500 (a decline of 16.9 per cent), the City Paper lost 71,000 (a fall of 13.4 per cent), the Daily News lost 32,700 (a decline of 9 percent) and PW lost 8,700 (a loss of 7.9 percent).

Behind our success is you

Thanks to the readers for more support than ever

To our readers and advertising partners:

As 2012 comes to a close, we’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on our great relationship.

Metro newspaper will be celebrating our 13th anniversary in Philadelphia in 2013, and quite frankly, we could not have accomplished this without you. Your constant feedback to our award-winning editorial team and business personnel has helped shape Metro newspaper into what it is today — the pre-dominant daily newspaper reaching over one half million loyal readers each week.

We continue to ask for your feedback and Metro will continue to evolve as it has over the last dozen years. We increased local editorial about arts and culture and increased coverage on education, recruitment and real estate.

Our continued commitment to topical issues you want to read about, keeps our writers passionately working around the clock to deliver YOUR news in a concise form. And stay tuned, because on Nov. 12 we will be publishing an editorial series you will not want to miss!

To our important advertising partners: we continue to strive to create new and improved marketing solutions and stellar customer service. We value our partnership more than ever and look forward to helping your business grow.

Your Metro moment: Wake up, get ready for work, grab breakfast and coffee — and a Metro. Hopefully, reading Metro has made that coffee taste better the last 12 years.

As we approach the holidays, we wish you all a happy season and we look forward to a great partnership with our clients and readers for the next 12 years.

Gregg Rubin, Sales director