‘Advocate’ publisher: New Orleans circulation at 23,500

In an article appearing in the Columbia Journalism Review today, David Manship, publisher of The Advocate, says the Baton Rouge newspaper has increased its New Orleans circulation to about 23,500 since launching an edition in the Crescent City in October. About 16,000 of those are daily subscribers, the article states, adding: “Both are strong numbers for such a young paper, and it’s hard to imagine that many or most of them aren’t coming at the expense of The Times-Picayune.” However, The Times-Picayune is also reporting increased circulation since reducing its publishing schedule to three days weekly in October and increasing its online efforts—which prompted The Advocate to try to muscle in on the New Orleans market. “We haven’t even had time to figure out what it’s costing us to be in New Orleans yet,” Manship says. The article’s writer, Ryan Chittum, concludes “The Times-Picayune is still a much better newspaper on the days it prints than The Advocate is. To truly compete long-term, the Baton Rouge paper will have to beef up its New Orleans newsroom considerably.” Advocate Executive Editor Carl Redman tells Business Report for a story in the upcoming Dec. 25 issue that his paper is not trying to compete with nola.com in New Orleans and is not worried about the new online competition in Baton Rouge. “We responded to a significant number of people in New Orleans who want a daily newspaper. Hopefully, we’ll make a little bit of revenue,” Redman says. “This isn’t a charity operation.”