Deseret News is second-fastest growing publication in U.S.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Deseret News is among the fastest growing news publications in the country, according to a recent report.

Data from the Alliance for Audited Media shows that the Salt Lake City-based newspaper was the second fastest growing in the nation as of Sept. 30, 2012 — up 15.34 percent from the same date in 2011. The Deseret News was behind only the Herald-Dispatch, based in Huntington, W.V., which grew circulation nearly 18 percent year over year.

The report also indicates that eight of the top 25 circulation gainers grew by at least 10 percent and the top five grew at least 13.74 percent.

Digital circulation accounts for approximately 15.3 percent of newspapers’ average total circulation mix — up from 9.8 percent in September 2011, the report states. Digital circulation includes tablet or smartphone apps, PDF replicas, metered or restricted-access websites, or e-reader editions.

Branded editions — newspaper-owned products such as commuter, community, alternative-language or Sunday-Select type newspapers — make up 5.6 percent of newspapers’ total average circulation, up from 4.2 percent in September 2011.

Much of the Deseret News' growth comes from its weekly national edition, which is distributed nationwide with the LDS Church News on college campuses and as an insert in newspapers in other markets.

"We are obviously gratified to see that the Deseret News reach a larger audience,” said editor Paul Edwards. “Such growth is not only a boon to our business plan, but it is another indication of how the informative family oriented journalism of the Deseret News is filling an unmet need in a very competitive media marketplace."

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