LAT posts small circulation increase

The paper's daily numbers for the six months ended March 31 were up 1.9 percent, to 616,575. That's fourth-highest, after the WSJ, NYT and USA Today, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations report. Of the total, 489,514 came from print and 100,221 from digital, which under the new ABC rules can include a variety of platforms. That makes the results a lot more confusing - and a lot less conclusive - than in years past. Poynter's Rick Edmonds says that organizations are allowed "to double or triple-count subscribers if they pay for access to one or multiple digital platforms." (I'm struck by the stunningly small LAT print circulation.) Sunday was up 0.41 percent, to 952,761 (second only to the NYT.) Meanwhile, the OC Register reported a 53.5 percent increase in daily circulation for the period. Sunday was up 33.9 percent. Much of the increase came from the paper's 25 branded editions, which include the Irvine World News and Spanish-language Excelsior. Again, very hard to pin down what's real and what's sleight of hand. Here's the daily rundown:

1)WALL STREET JOURNAL 2,118,315 +0.02%
2)USA TODAY 1,817,446 -0.64%
3)NEW YORK TIMES 1,586,757 +73.05%
4)LOS ANGELES TIMES 616,575 +1.87%
5)NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 579,636 +9.17%
6)SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS 575,786 -0.32%
7)NEW YORK POST 555,327 +6.21%
8)WASHINGTON POST 507,615 -7.84%
9)CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 422,335 +0.70%
10)CHICAGO TRIBUNE 414,590 -5.17%