It’s been more than a year since I last looked at how the top 100 newspapers in the U.S. (based on print circulation) were doing gaining likes on Facebook (my list actually includes the top 100 newspapers by circulation and some newspapers that asked to be on the list).
So I took a little time yesterday to see what had changed in the past 15 months. At that time, the average page had 29,047 likes. Now, the average page has 55,501 likes. If we throw out the New York Times and it’s million+ likes, the average jumped from 15,836 to 34,178.
Some more highlights…
- The New York Times now has more than 2.5 million likes, an increase of nearly a million in the past 15 months. By contrast, the Times’s average daily print circulation is 717,513.
- The Raleigh News & Observer showed a huge drop in likes, but only because it gave up a page with 4,650 likes to start a new one with less than 900 likes.
- The Honolulu Star-Advertiser continues to be a dominant force on Facebook with 121,000+ likes. The paper ranks No. 7 on the list, despite not being in the top 100 newspapers by circulation.
Here are some charts showing the numbers (See the full list of top newspapers on Facebook)…
Top 20 Newspapers on Facebook
Percentage growth and # growth are from Sept. 2011 to Dec. 2012.
| Newspaper | Fans Dec. 2012 | % growth | # growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Times | 2,550,342 | 62.0% | 975,631 |
| Wall Street Journal | 632,090 | 81.1% | 283,010 |
| Washington Post | 481,055 | 130.6% | 272,463 |
| Los Angeles Times | 376,631 | 236.5% | 264,700 |
| USA Today | 308,002 | 334.1% | 237,057 |
| Denver Post | 193,514 | 124.0% | 107,135 |
| Honolulu Star-Advertiser | 121,272 | 290.6% | 90,223 |
| Boston Globe | 76,125 | 41.8% | 22,437 |
| New York Post | 65,141 | 125.5% | 36,253 |
| Chicago Tribune | 57,200 | 50.1% | 19,084 |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch | 46,564 | 131.1% | 26,411 |
| Arizona Republic | 44,068 | 31.5% | 10,568 |
| Miami Herald | 40,294 | 82.5% | 18,210 |
| Atlanta Journal-Constitution | 39,145 | 109.6% | 20,465 |
| Palm Beach Post | 37,044 | 65.1% | 14,613 |
| El Paso Times | 35,876 | 20.3% | 6,044 |
| Newsday | 34,829 | 103.4% | 17,703 |
| San Jose Mercury News | 34,541 | 99.1% | 17,189 |
| La Opinión (Los Angeles) | 34,489 | 1489.4% | 32,319 |
| Daily News | 33,369 | 92.6% | 16,040 |
Sites with the largest growth (by percentage of Likes)
| Newspaper | Fans 9/11 | Fans 12/13/12 | % growth | # growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Opinión (Los Angeles) | 2,170 | 34,489 | 1489.4% | 32,319 |
| Arizona Daily Star | 2,068 | 11,183 | 440.8% | 9,115 |
| USA Today | 70,945 | 308,002 | 334.1% | 237,057 |
| Buffalo News | 3,450 | 14,083 | 308.2% | 10,633 |
| Lexington Herald-Leader | 6,962 | 28,170 | 304.6% | 21,208 |
| Honolulu Star-Advertiser | 31,049 | 121,272 | 290.6% | 90,223 |
| Cincinnati Enquirer | 4,133 | 15,550 | 276.2% | 11,417 |
| Gazette (Colorado Springs) | 3,159 | 11,143 | 252.7% | 7,984 |
| Los Angeles Times | 111,931 | 376,631 | 236.5% | 264,700 |
| Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester) | 2,706 | 8,344 | 208.4% | 5,638 |
Sites with the largest growth (by number of Likes)
| Newspaper | Fans 9/11 | Fans 12/13/12 | % growth | # growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Times | 1,574,711 | 2,550,342 | 62.0% | 975,631 |
| Wall Street Journal | 349,080 | 632,090 | 81.1% | 283,010 |
| Washington Post | 208,592 | 481,055 | 130.6% | 272,463 |
| Los Angeles Times | 111,931 | 376,631 | 236.5% | 264,700 |
| USA Today | 70,945 | 308,002 | 334.1% | 237,057 |
| Denver Post | 86,379 | 193,514 | 124.0% | 107,135 |
| Honolulu Star-Advertiser | 31,049 | 121,272 | 290.6% | 90,223 |
| New York Post | 28,888 | 65,141 | 125.5% | 36,253 |
| La Opinión (Los Angeles) | 2,170 | 34,489 | 1489.4% | 32,319 |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch | 20,153 | 46,564 | 131.1% | 26,411 |
Hey Chris, I saw your rankings of newspapers with Facebook likes (It was referenced on a McClatchy site). Unfortunately, I didn’t see The Modesto Bee, a McClatchy Newspaper. We’ve been working hard to grow our numbers and have more than 6,700 likes, up from about 5,000 in Septemeber. Just thought I’d give you a heads up. https://www.facebook.com/modestobee.