ALL Irish daily, Sunday and evening newspapers have increased circulations since the closure of the Irish Press newspapers 10 months ago.
The Evening Herald has recorded the highest percentage increase now that it has the Dublin evening newspaper market to itself. For the last six months of 1995 its sales were up 34.16 per cent over the same period the previous year. The Sunday Independent scored nearly as well, with a 31.3 per cent increase.
The latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation for July to December are the first published with no Irish Press titles on the market.
The last recorded circulation figure for the Sunday Press: the best selling of the three titles, was 154,121, for July to December 1994. The latest figures show that all Sunday newspapers have experienced a combined sales increase of 115,655.
If it is assumed that not all these sales are former Sunday Press buyers it means that a significant number of Sunday Press readers did not switch to another Irish newspaper.
The collapse of the Sunday Press has helped the Sunday Tribune halt its decline, which started from 1990, when the newspaper was selling 102,267. The latest figure, of 82,569, represents a 6.8 per cent increase over July to December 1994.
The Sunday Independent is the main beneficiary of the disappearance of the Sunday Press with 80,778 added to its sales, which total 339,069. The Sunday World is up by 25,318, giving an unaudited figure of 299,680 and the Sunday Business Post has increased its circulation by 14.9 per cent, to 33,006.
When the daily circulation figures are analysed, again the Independent Newspapers title, the Irish Independent, seems to have gained most from the demise of the Irish Press.
It gained 14,948 to reach daily sales of 160,400, a 10.3 per cent increase. The Irish Times circulation is up 5.5 per cent over the same period the previous year, to 98,867. The Star, 50 per cent owned by Independent Newspapers, is up 13,783 sales to 86,602, a rise of 18.9 per cent.
The Cork Examiner, soon to drop Cork from its title and make a push for sales outside its traditional Munster base, is up 3.40 per cent, to 53,853. Its sister newspaper, the Evening Echo, is up 5.37 per cent to 25,970.
The combined circulation increases for all daily newspapers is 35,689, while the last circulation figure for the Irish Press was 38,889. The Evening Herald, published by Independent Newspapers, has gained 30,868, to 121,216. The final sales figures for the Evening Press was 52,590.
Sources have indicated that no investors have shown further interest in relaunching any of the Irish Press titles.