Newspapers to cash in on Obama inauguration demand

Newspapers that scrambled to print extra issues after Barack Obama's election are ramping up presses to ensure they don't miss out on an inauguration day windfall.

For Obama's swearing-in as U.S. president on Jan. 20, publishers of the New York Times, Washington Post and newspapers across the country are planning to sell millions of extra copies, special editions, books and other memorabilia. That's after Nov. 5 newspapers attracted bids of almost $100 apiece on EBay.

"Every newspaper is getting in on this and they really have to," said John Morton, a newspaper analyst and president of Morton Research Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland. "It's a chance for some quick profits and many are struggling."

The inauguration of the first black president in U.S. history may be a boon for publishers suffering from a drop in circulation, down 4.6 percent in the year through September.

Washington Post Co.'s flagship newspaper will publish 1.7 million copies in four editions on Jan. 20 and the following day, to be sold at newsstands, vending machines and by hawkers on the street, said its spokeswoman, Maria Cereghino. The newspaper, which typically prints 589,000 copies each weekday, will also raise its newsstand price to $2 from 75 cents on those days.

New York Times Co. will print a commemorative Sunday magazine on Jan. 18, raise the print run of its namesake title by about 75 percent to 2.2 million on Jan. 21 and sell newspapers out of its Manhattan headquarters lobby, according to its spokeswoman, Diane McNulty.

The company, which posted a loss in the third quarter, has sold $2.3 million in election-related products, including a set of mugs for $24.95 and a 68-page commemorative newspaper for $18.95, McNulty said.

Gannett Co., the country's largest newspaper publisher, is selling through Feb. 2 a 48-page tabloid-style USA Today edition titled "Obama: The Historic Journey" for $4.95, said Tara Connell, a spokeswoman at the McLean, Virginia-based company. The edition features maps, speech excerpts and special coverage.

"The response has been great," Connell said.

Stores sold out "immediately" of copies of an inauguration- day issue of "The Amazing Spider-Man" featuring Obama and additional copies will be printed, said Jim McCann, a spokesman for the publisher, New York-based Marvel Entertainment Inc. He declined to provide figures. Bids for the $3.99 comic book on auction Web site EBay today were as high as $227.50.