Figures released this week confirm the Isle of Wight County Press (IWCP) is suffering a sustained fall in readership.

The circulation numbers for the Island’s only paid-for newspaper, published by industry-owned auditor ABC , show a much worse picture than expected. In 2023 they sold 10,084 copies which fell to just 8,940 last year, a loss of 11 per cent and a reduction in income of more than £83,000.

As recently as November, the IWCP claimed its circulation was ‘around 9,500’ which would have been a 6 per cent drop.

At the end of 2014, the IWCP enjoyed a weekly circulation of more than 28,000 copies, this has collapsed by almost 70 per cent in just a decade. The dramatic fall reflects big changes at the IWCP, most notably since its takeover over by publishing giant Newsquest in 2017.

Under Newsquest’s ownership, the IWCP has undergone significant restructuring. Its printing arm, Crossprint, was closed in 2019, and the 140-year-old company name was struck off at Companies House in the same year, meaning it is no longer a separate entity.

The editor’s chair has also proved to be a hot seat. Since 2019 the editorial baton has been passed from Alan Marriott to Emily Pearce, back to Alan, then to joint editors Lucy Morgan and Lori Little, with Lori left as the lastwoman standing after Alan, Emily and Lucy all left the company for pastures new.

Newsquest’s ownership has also seen the paper’s pages carry more national advertising, including for companies with no presence on the Island, and syndicated articles that appear in a number of titles.

Their Facebook page shows that it is managed by 33 people in the UK, 16 in India and one in Nigeria.

In August, Newsquest sold IWCP’s base in Newport, Brannon House, forcing the local team to relocate to a rented office on Riverway Industrial Estate. The IWCP says its declining print figures are in line with the nationwide trend for paid-for newspapers. In line with all Newsquest titles, the IWCP’s focus is heavily weighted towards its digital offerings.

The company’s claim to be the ‘UK’s biggest selling local weekly paper’ depends whether its Newsquest stablemate, the Hereford News, suffers a similar fall in circulation, with its 2024 numbers yet to be published. ABC audits 38 ‘regional publications’ with larger circulations than the IWCP, the majority of them free papers paid for by advertising rather than a cover price.

The IWCP’s editor, Lori Little, declined to comment, instead directing the IW Observer to an on-line article which failed to mention the big drop in circulation. She also did not respond to a question about how many people have signed up to access the newspaper digitally or comment on the November claim of a 9,500 circulation.

The IW Observer is a weekly newspaper, owned by Islanders and funded by local advertisers with no national advertising accepted. We distribute 18,500 copies each week, all free of charge to readers and send out more than 5,500 digital copies to subscribers.

Last year the IW Observer opened a new office in St James’ Square in the heart of Newport.

Editor, Carole Dennett, said: “The IW Observer is thriving because we are truly local. Being locally owned, free to read, and by building strong relationships with Island businesses, we remain deeply connected and responsive to what our readers want.

“Other media may move towards a national focus and a digital model, but we’re proud to support local events and the needs of the local community with the Island’s favourite newspaper.”