U.S. newspapers do extra print runs

Posted by Alisa Zykova on November 6, 2008 at 1:13 PM

U.S. newspapers may have gotten a much needed circulation boost Wednesday, as titles across the country reported that Barack Obama's presidential victory increased demand for copies, with most newspapers disappearing from newsstands and boxes before noon. Demand was so high that many newspapers, such as The New York Times and Chicago Tribune, are printing more copies of Wednesday's paper.

The New York Times stated that its typical morning print run was initially increased by 35 percent on Wednesday, which wasn't even enough. The Times then had to print an additional 75,000 copies. The Chicago Tribune’s preliminary 690,000 copies also sold out by morning, and another 130,000 copies were printed, the AFP reported.

The Chicago Tribune featured this ad on its homepage Thursday.

About 400 people lined up outside the Washington Post office to purchase their own copy of the special issue, which sold out in the early morning in the D.C. area. According to the AFP, the title said that it boosted its printing numbers by 30 percent, releasing an extra 250,000 copies of Wednesday's edition.

Even though the Internet is stealing reader numbers away from print, newspapers are still very popular, and very important for historical moments, Rima Calderon, head of communications for the Post, told the AFP.

“It does say something really marvellous about the printed newspaper. When there's a historic event like last night people want a printed copy for posterity,” Calderon said.

The Chicago Sun-Times also followed the trend, and had to return to the printing presses even though it had printed extra “tens of thousands” of copies.

“I have a two-year-old grandchild and I'm going to keep a copy for her,” said Vernon Short, a 68-year-old former military participant. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and I want to have a reminder.”

Historic editions of papers have been put up for sale on e-Bay, a move that New York Times company spokeswoman Nichola Sharpe said may help to determine how much people are willing to pay for items related to politically important events. According to the AFP, The New York Times issue had a highest bid of US$400, with a buy-it-now cost of US$600.

Aside from print, Web sites like CNN.com reported record traffic during the election night Tuesday. CNN.com received 30 million unique visitors, more than twice the number it received during the Democratic primaries, which set a previous record of 13.4 million, the AFP reported.

Gawker posted this photo of people waiting in line outside The New York Times building on Wednesday.