• Editor & Publisher, Wednesday, September 26, 2007 11 AM

The number of free daily newspapers has tripled in the last seven years, according to data from the North American Free Daily Newspaper Association -- and not all growth has come in cities with mass transit. There are now 60 free dailies in North America, the group says, a figure that includes the launch of two new ones last summer in Fayetteville and Mount Airy, North Carolina.

"Launches of free dailies in mass-transit cities such as New York, Boston, Washington, and Chicago have gotten the most attention from reporters who cover the media," says Henry E. Scott, interim director of the Free Daily Newspaper Association and former group publisher of Metro International. "But our study shows that nearly one-quarter of North America's free dailies are published in small towns and have circulations of 10,000 or less."

According to the study, there are 16 free dailies with distribution of 100,001 or more, while 11 are between 50,001 and 100,000; 19 range from 10,001 to 50,000; and 14 are 10,000 or less. About one-third are aimed at 18-to-34-year olds and the average free daily employs 29 people. On the ad front, national accounts comprise 13% of revenue.

Read the whole story at Editor & Publisher »