Newsquest (Herald & Times) Ltd, owner of The Herald and Evening Times, reports annual profits dropped 44% to £4.8 million in the 2016 year to 25 December. Average daily sales for the Herald were a mere 28 900. Wings over Scotland attracts around 300 000!
It must be only a matter of time until the parent company Newsquest Ltd dumps it and, hopefully, David Torrance will lose his captive audience for anti-independence drivel. The Scotsman is in an even worse situation with less than 20 000 daily sales. Even I have had nearly 10 000 on a few rare days and my publishing budget is SFA.
BBC Scotland News won’t reveal its viewing figures. We must assume that’s because they’re too scared to do so. We do know that Scotland 2016 manged no more than 30 000.
The important point is that come Indyref2 in say 2020, the media landscape will be transformed from that of 2014, with the majority of the voters accessing news from online sources which are much more likely to be either pro-independence or at least impartial thus more accurate.
Look back at these tiny five-digit figures and remember there are 3 900 000 voters in Scotland. Even if Reporting Scotland were still getting the 500 000 they claimed ten years ago, the vast majority would still be getting their news online.
http://www.insider.co.uk/company-results-forecasts/newsquest-herald–times-ltd-11041153
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-39076470
Talking-up Scotland 
And as for the National and the Sunday Herald – Trojan horses!
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By God John – you’re a brutal realist so you are!
I was surprised to see in your article that the Scottish Football Association seem to endorse your budget for this most worthy blog!
Thanks, ludo
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Brutal realist – thanks?
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It’s sort of sad, though. If only they were better papers. Well, I mean the “Herald”, as I can’t see what is the point of the “Evening Times”.
All right, when I say “sad”, it’s for the not-really-logical reason that the “Herald” and often the “Evening Times” were always there, a feature of childhood and growing up and all that. Then again, I suppose I used to read “Beano” and “Bunty” too, and I have not the slightest care whether they’re still around or not.
I’d still sort of hate to see the “Herald” go under, given its very long history, but if it’s determined to lose readers …
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It is sad but independence from UK imperialism is too important.
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“But if it’s determined to ” defend the indefensible
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Yes, they can always start blogs?
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I could have written that myself ? I
Feel the exact same as you regarding the
Herald ? It would be sad ? I stopped buying it ages ago now I’m happy with the National
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Your comments about The National and Sunday Herald are spot on. I have been saying this for some time now and it is beyond my comprehension why the obvious is still invisible to so many. None so blind, perhaps?
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They’re clever about it?
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A couple of weeks ago The Rev. Pointed out that there hadn’t been one positive comment about the SNP in The Sunday Herald. A comment echoed by some commentators (posters) . . . This weekend the SH had a great front page. “Westminster And The Big Oil Lie” Was this the result of a sudden drop off in sales. Do we have some control over these papers?
Yesterday the Herald published an excellent letter by Gordon MacIntyre Kemp.
Is the herald a Trojan Horse? . . Under the Editorial, they claim Impartiality. Geeze I’m confused. Aye so ah am!
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They host SNP-haters under the guise of professionalism. If we want independence, there’s not time nor space for that. They should be reporting 100% for independence and against the Union and ignoring things they don’t like about the SNP such as McKenna stirring up Catholic voter doubts.
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Aye, that’s how I see things . . . . In the past they used to try and hang onto a readership between elections, so that come election time there was an audience for “The Message” nowadays they pump out pro Union SNP Baaad continually . . . .
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Dammit, I lost my beautifully scripted comment there, well, I’ll still post the Flowery rhetoric from Jon Snow
https://mobile.twitter.com/jonsnowC4/status/900431375387557891
On the media, and how it needs to listen. Can’t say I’m impressed with channel four news treatment of Scotland, so taking a pinch of salt with his statements.
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They were a bit more impartial in the run-up to the Referendum, I thought.
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