Hiding your shame
Over the last 30 days, Wings Over Scotland’s readership has soared to almost 42,000 unique users. Although in February our number of unique visitors eclipsed daily sales of the Scotsman for the first time (and has grown 25% since then), soon we’ll have no idea how we’re doing comparatively, because the once-proud newspaper has now joined the Herald in ducking out of monthly sales reporting. The Guardian reports:
“All four titles were pulled out of monthly reporting against the background of plunging print sales. In The Scotsman’s case, its sale in January was recorded as 32,435, only 21,806 of which were sold at the full cover price. That represented a year-on-year drop of 17.5%. Scotland of Sunday’s circulation fall, to a January average of 38,493, was worse. That was 24% fewer than in January 2012.”
Tick tock, tick tock.
Sorry, to whoever I said it on here, for saying I thought they would be reported yearly instead of monthly but I did say I was unsure of my memory for the yearly bit.
w.d. WOS
And just to remind readers that there is currently a donation fund active to ensure the future of this great and much needed outlet.
Rev Stu
Can you clarify whether the drop in sales percentage was based on actual full price sales or some hybrid?
I was in Scotland last week and the hotel (IBIS) gave away free copies of the tabloid Independent, the i, which was entirely English news.
Congratulations Rev; keep up the good work!
Mea culpa and all that jazz. It is becoming increasingly difficult to take MSM seriously. I try, honest injun!, to respond to Unionist trolls on the Herald. It is not particularily easy when we are all under a blanket of being ‘nice’. Because that is who we are. But we are dealing with folk that are two planks short of a dod of wood.
I seem to recall our good host putting up a post from an English commentator on the Herald. That chap has now gone down hill, IMVHO, and now posts utter rubbish.
I wonder how WoS calculates the number of unique visitors? I always post as Morag, with my home email address identifying me. But during the day I’m accessing the blog from my office computer which is a completely different outfit from my home computer. Does the system know it’s always just me?
If I was only reading and never posting, I don’t know how it would be possible to tell that my work access and my home access were the same person. I suspect quite a lot of people might be in the same situation.
Latest scare story courtesy of the Herald and Mrs Baker wife of tricky dicky
Scottish independence could be disastrous for farmers, Labour has warned
Informed opinion in the farming community is, vote yes or we’re completely fecked.
Morag
That’s what I would have thought but hey ho what would I know when the febrile imagination of the Baker family gets going
Farmers have never seen a Government working on their behalf like the SNP have – its been a revelation for them. Labour are only spinning rubbish to themselves via the media.
@Morag
‘I don’t know how it would be possible to tell that my work access and my home access were the same person ‘
Oh! they know morag they always know what your up to
link to encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com
The circulation of the Scotsman in 1980 was 100,000. This article about the decline of the Scotsman is very apt.
link to bjr.org.uk
Apologies, I know this is off the beaten track, but something made me think while watching the ascension of the new Pope.
Something tells me that David Cameron could be cursing tonight. In the last two days, the UK has run a plebiscite in the Falkland Islands (and quite rightly so) to see whether the residents there want to be British or Argentine.
After two days of smug ‘We told you so’ from Cameron to the Argentines, I can’t help but feel that in her moment of being put in her place, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the Argentine President, has just been given not only an Ace, but a King, a Queen, a Jack, and a 10.
Why do I get the feeling that this Argentine President will be beating down the Vatican doors and howling for ‘justice’ at the new Argentine Pope …for the Argentine people.
It is truly …Priceless …you couldn’t make it up…
Call it co-incidence, call it freaky, but at times, I think the Cosmic Joker likes to throw curve balls now and again. As I said, I bet Cameron must have spluttered and cursed the minute he realised that the new Pope was Argentine. Something tells me that the game to own the Falklands (or Malvinas) …is somehow, not over yet….
Difference between the Herald during the week and Sunday Herald is starker and starker. That’s one thing I notice.
Will miss the arts writing at the Scotsman when it goes. MacMillllans etc.
But apart from my previous post, I would just like to say ‘Well done, Rev. Keep up the good work. ‘
I no longer visit any of the on-line papers for any political news as they cannot be trusted. I still read the usual stuff about sport, general news or movie reviews (stuff like that)…but when it comes to Scottish Politics …they can shove it!!!
@Marcia
After the second phase of restructuring in the summer of last year, with many Johnston Press newspapers going from dailies to weekly editions to try and stifle falling sales. It has been reported last month that the tactic has actually hastened the decline of those newspapers with some reporting between 14-18% decline in the latest circulation figures. JP’s business decisions and tactics are backfiring, they can’t stop the inevitable now, all the new restructuring over the last 12 months has failed.
link to guardian.co.uk
Something tells me that the game to own the Falklands (or Malvinas) …is somehow, not over yet….
Something tells me the Pope has probably got more pressing problems and even if he didn’t, he’d have no real influence on the matter. Kirchner may well have been given AKQJ10, but she’s playing Scrabble.
Jiggsbro,
AKQJ10?
I have tried to parse that with no success. No idea what you are talking about.
DC : Ace, King, Queen, Jack & 10. See JLT at 7.57 above.
@Jiggsbro: Scrabble? So good that I’ll steal it if the chance arises.
I was still at school when the “falkland’s conflict” happened. My friend’s dad said they were only fighting over sovereignty of the islands and not possession because they were actually owned by the Christian Salveson company. I don’t know if it’s true or not.
@Breastplate
Back then even your average squadie knew it was all about oil.
I was involved in the “liberation” of the Falkland Islands. I didnt get there till after the fighting had stoped
The geography of the Falklands is key. South Georgia (British) is on the same latitude but is almost permanently ice bound. The Falklands islands are the only viable place to build oil terminals and infrastructure needed to support drilling in Antarctica.
The British government didn’t go to huge expense to build a military airport and very large barracks for nothing. Westminster will simply not give in on this one regardless of who says so.
Friend of a friend on FB – a labour unionist – tells me Scotsman readership is rising.
scotchman,
I hate it when I miss the bleeding obvious.
I recall a crossword clue, (gegs? Nine and four.)
Thanks.
The Man in the Jar says:
I get quite annoyed with myself sometimes, but I completely disagree with the Argentine view over the Malvinas. It is, perhaps, the only example of justified force projection in my lifetime. And I hate Maggie Thatcher with a vengance.
Incidentally, who says that England automatically inherits all of the crown colonies? That, sir, ought to be part of the negotiation, We should assume that what they assume is wrong.
I am not undefined. I am douglas clark. Quite why this web site fails to recognise me is quite odd.
Perhaps it is yet another problem with the switchover?
_______________________________________
Oops, sorted.
It would be, at the very least, interesting to see what Nicola Sturgeon, as our Foreign Secretary, made of the situation ré Diego Garcia. I expect she would tear up the agreement with the Yanks and repatriate the folk that lived there.
It is in no-ones interest to be dead to how ugly Westminster actually is.
All the inhabitants of Diego Garcia were involuntarily relocated to other islands in the Chagos Archipelago or to Mauritius or Seychelles by 1971 to satisfy the requirements of a UK/US Exchange of Notes signed in 1966 to depopulate the island when the US constructed a base upon it.[40] No current agreement exists on how many of the evacuees met the criteria to be an Ilois, and thus be an indigenous person at the time of their removal, but the UK and Mauritian governments agreed in 1972 that 426 families,[41] numbering 1,151 individuals[24] were due compensation payments as exiled Ilois. The total number of people certified as Ilois by the Mauritian Government’s Ilois Trust Fund Board in 1982 was 1,579.[42] This involuntary relocation decision remains in litigation as of 2010.[43][44]
Highland clearances anyone?
And now I, apparently, await moderation. WTF is going on?
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.”
WTF?
As per my post of 12:43 or thereabouts. Which I can see, can you?
Wierd idea of moderation , is that.
Douglas clark
At 12.07am
They can keep my bit!
PS Cant see post at 12.43
@douglas clark
scrambled eggs
(old saddo crossword fan)
Jiggsbro,
I agree with you. Pope Francis has a busy time in front of him, but give it a year or two, and expect him to get involved in the Falklands.
Popes do get involved in politics; after all, Poper John Paul II got involved in the Polish Solidarity movement, and within 10 years, Commuinism in Eastern Europe was gone. The history books do say that the Vatican had a big hand in it, by raising the influence of the resistance to Communism.
So, when it come to the Falklands, this will be nothing. Kirchner raises the issue of ‘occupation of the islands’ with the Vatican, and before you know it, a cause will be raised to releasement of the islands. Remember, South America is entirely Catholic, and they are ALL resistant to Britain being there. Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, etc …do NOT want us there!
I think this has got legs to run and run. We will all know that there has been a shift when Cameron decides to meet Kirchner at some point.
Personally, the Islands are British; the people there have spoken, irrespective of how the Argentines feel, and I agree with the ‘Man in a Jar’; this is all about mineral rights in Antarctica. If it wasn’t for Antarctica, Britain would have got rid of the Islands years ago. Forget this ‘I’m British’ crap nonsense. ‘Man in a Jar’ nailed it on the head. Nationalism is being used here, but …for a totally and different purpose. We know it, and so do the Argentines. The are also playing the exact same card (nationalism) to get access to Antarctica, and they are only using the Falkland Islands as an excuse too. Expect a ‘joint’ sharing of the land between Britain and Argentina at somepoint in the future.
@JLT
One solution would be to somehow give Argentina authority over West Island. It is sparsely populated even by Falklands standards.
When I was there I visited Fox Bay a very small settlement on West Island. I met an old guy who had visited Port Stanley 40 years earlier and never revisited. He thought it was far to busy!
As far as the Falklands go, they will remain British so long as the Argentine armed forces remain skint with decades old equipment they can’t afford to service. I did think that Cameron was inviting the Argentines to have another go at the Malvinas when he decommissioned the aircraft carriers, but after looking into it, Argentina is even less militarily capable now than they were 30 years ago, whereas Britain now has a small but potent force based there permanently.
Does anyone have the sales figures year on year for The Herald.
Eric Joyce has just been arrested –
Prepare for a Byelection!