Circulation

Circulation managers are responsible for the development and operation of circulation plans for newspapers, magazines
and catalogs. They can work for all kinds of publishing companies. They can also work for universities or other organizations
that publish material.
A big part of a circulation manager's job involves trying to increase the number of subscribers a publication has. To that end,
managers work with people in promotions, production and advertising.
Circulation managers generate print orders and oversee postage and customer service.
People working in this occupation analyze, develop and implement circulation plans. They study the results of promotions,
testing scenarios, customer retention programs and marketing surveys. They then use the information to develop or modify
marketing strategies.
In some cases, circulation managers might be required to write copy (sales material), approve artistic designs and layout
and work with printers to ensure that marketing materials meet specifications.
Kate MacDougall is the circulation manager for a magazine. She says that circulation managers must have an eye for
layout, design and copywriting. When sending out renewal notices, for instance, you would commission the writing to a
copywriter, then send it to a designer for layout. "You have to know how to lay it out and how to give it to a designer. I write a
lot of the copy myself."
Wayne Leek is the circulation manager with a magazine. He says circulation managers who work for magazines are more
involved with subscriptions and circulation. Circulation managers who work for newspapers are more concerned with the
physical distribution of the publications.
MacDougall says circulation managers are responsible for promotional materials such as full-page ads, direct-mail
packages and the insert cards that are enclosed in magazines. "They are all designed to catch your attention. We figure out
a sneaky way to make them more effective," she says, laughing.
Circulation managers work closely with printers. They must be able to understand pre-press and production printing
concepts and the lingo of the industry. "Much of this material can't be learned by taking courses. You pick it up by working
around magazines and other publications," says MacDougall.
If a circulation manager also manages a department, they will be involved in supervising employees, managing budgets
and participating in the business management of the publication.
MacDougall says that large publishing companies have circulation departments. The circulation people work at one certain
aspect of the work. At smaller companies, the circulation manager is responsible for everything related to circulation.
Douglas Glazer is a circulation manager in New York. He says most magazine circulation jobs in the U.S. are situated in
New York and San Francisco. "Aside from that, it's a matter of going to a city and finding the magazines that are there."
In very small publications, such as with some weekly newspapers, for example, the circulation manager's responsibilities
could be combined with some other job title.
Someone with a physical disability could do the job of circulation manager, provided the office is wheelchair-enabled or
otherwise designed to accommodate the needs of a person with a disability. People with sight impairments might have a
harder time doing the job, since circulation managers are required to check artistic designs and layout.
The rate of decline in print circulation at the nation’s newspapers has accelerated since last fall, as
industry figures released Monday show a more than 7 percent drop compared with the previous year,
while another recent analysis showed that newspaper Web site audiences had increased 10.5 percent in
the first quarter.

Of the top 25 newspapers in the United States, all posted declines in circulation except for The Wall
Street Journal, which eked out a 0.6 percent gain, according to figures released by the Audit Bureau of
Circulations. For the others, the declines ranged from 20.6 percent for The New York Post, to a slight 0.4
percent drop for The Chicago Sun-Times.

Both The Post and The Journal are owned by the News Corporation, the media conglomerate controlled
by Rupert Murdoch.

The new circulation numbers are “not very good, and probably a little worse than expected,” said Rick
Edmonds, media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit organization that owns The St.
Petersburg Times in Florida. Mr. Edmonds said he had expected an overall drop of roughly 5.5 percent.
https://clubs.waketech.edu/wake-review/magazine/creative-writing/non-fiction/the-decline-in-
newspapers-a-closer-look-joseph-ahrens/