Local media on the up

They enjoy strong support while some national print titles face uncertain times.

With an uncertain future hanging over some national print titles, all eyes were on South African print media last week. While some publications are seeing declining circulations, others notably local newspapers distributed among South Africa's economically active communities are holding their own with sustained reader and advertiser support.

The Q1 2024 print media audited circulation figures, recently released by the Audit Bureau of Circulation of South Africa, put the total circulation of local print media at 6.1 million copies.

The overwhelming majority of these copies (90%) were local newspapers.

The figures showed that daily, weekend and weekly newspaper circulations have declined by 22% since Q1 in 2023.

This represents a decrease of 175 000 copies, pointing to the pressure these titles now face.

Chris Halstead, head of sales at Spark Media, SA's leading print media sales company providing hyperlocal advertising solutions, says local newspapers face their own challenges, but are now showing great resilience.