• Poynter, Sunday, October 25, 2009 9:49 PM

The Christian Science Monitor, a church-supported publication with a small but loyal circulation base and minimal reliance on advertising has what many large mainstream papers envy. Seven months after discontinuing its print edition, the Monitor is growing and thriving.

Page views, totaling 8.5 million, are up about 20% from April to October. Monthly unique visits have increased by an even higher percentage. The money saved on printing, paper, distribution and a reduced staff balances the lower circulation revenue. Ad revenue was soft earlier this year, but has started to trend up.

The competitive landscape has helped as well, says editor John Yemma. Polling has confirmed that Monitor readers want a "stronger news orientation" rather than off-the-news essays. The Monitor, which takes a straight news approach, "stands to harvest Newsweek subscribers disgruntled with the magazine's new straining-to-be-clever commentary," he says. With U.S. News & World Report cutting back to monthly publication, the Monitor has also picked up subscribers looking for a weekly.

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