Usa Today

NEW YORK - USA Today expects to report the largest decline in circulation in its 27-year history, threatening its number one position among US dailies as the growth of online news and the slump in travel pummel the newspaper. While most large dailies are struggling to hold on to print subscribers and newsstand sales, USA Today is being hurt by a drop in traffic at airports and hotels, the newspaper’s mainstay. In a memo to staff yesterday, USA Today publisher David Hunke said the average circulation at the Gannett Co.-owned newspaper was 1.88 million from April through September, a loss of...

U.S. newspapers reported a slight increase in circulation the past year as more readers purchased digital subscriptions, according to a media industry group. Average daily circulation in the six months that ended on March 31, rose nearly 1 percent for the 618 newspapers that participated in the Audit Bureau of Circulations semi-annual study, which was released Tuesday. Digital circulation, which includes subscribers who access content on tablet computers, smartphones, e-readers and websites, accounted for 14.2 percent of overall circulation.

SAN FRANCISCO — USA Today, the nation’s second-largest newspaper, is making the most dramatic overhaul of its staff in its 28-year history as it deemphasizes its print edition and ramps up its effort to reach more readers and advertisers on mobile devices. The makeover, outlined Thursday, will result in about 130 layoffs this fall, said USA Today’s publisher, Dave Hunke. That translates into a 9 percent reduction in USA Today’s workforce of 1,500 employees. The shake-up affects both the newspaper’s business operations and its newsroom.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent USA TODAY and Highschoolsports.net announced Thursday the 2011-2012 All-USA boys' high school basketball team, naming Everett native, Nerlens Noel, the Player of the Year. Noel, who stands 6-foot-10-inches, averaged 12.6 points, 3.9 blocks and 7.9 rebounds per game for Tilton School (N.H.) this past season. He has committed to the University of Kentucky. The center joins a list of former USA TODAY Player of the Year honorees, which includes Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

SAN FRANCISCO — USA Today is eliminating 35 jobs from its newsroom as it de-emphasizes its print edition and feeds more content to mobile devices. The cuts outlined in an internal memo yesterday are part of a sweeping overhaul announced by USA Today publisher Dave Hunke in August. About 130 of the 1,500 jobs throughout all of USA Today’s departments are expected to be jettisoned by the time the cutting is done. Most of the jobs being trimmed in the newsroom are currently vacant, according to the memo obtained by the Associated Press.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent USA TODAY and Highschoolsports.net announced Thursday the 2011-2012 All-USA boys' high school basketball team, naming Everett native, Nerlens Noel, the Player of the Year. Noel, who stands 6-foot-10-inches, averaged 12.6 points, 3.9 blocks and 7.9 rebounds per game for Tilton School (N.H.) this past season. He has committed to the University of Kentucky. The center joins a list of former USA TODAY Player of the Year honorees, which includes Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

A second top editor stepped down from USA Today yesterday as the fallout from a fraud scandal involving a former star reporter spread. A third told staffers he would be departing soon. Hal Ritter, the newspaper's managing editor of news, submitted his resignation to publisher Craig Moon yesterday. He had been in his current role since 1995 and had worked at the paper since it was founded in 1982. Ritter's departure came on the same day the newspaper revealed the scathing conclusions of an investigation by three veteran journalists into the work of...

WASHINGTON -- USA Today acknowledged in a "note to our readers" yesterday that it could not establish that BellSouth or Verizon contracted with the National Security Agency to provide customer calling records, as it previously reported. But spokesman Steve Anderson said "this is an important story that holds up well. At the heart of our report is the fact that NSA is collecting phone call records of millions of Americans. " "What we address in the editors' note," he said, "deals with the fact that we originally reported that the telephone companies...

WASHINGTON - Rod Beaton, a sportswriter who covered baseball for USA Today for many years and who once had a testy clubhouse confrontation with superstar Barry Bonds, died June 22 at Emeritus of Arlington nursing home in Arlington County, Va. He was 59 and had Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurological disorder, and Parkinson's disease. Mr. Beaton was a member of the original staff of USA Today when the newspaper was founded in 1982. He covered the National Hockey League for four years before turning to baseball.

NEW YORK - The Wall Street Journal has surpassed USA Today as the top-selling US daily newspaper. The Audit Bureau of Circulations won’t release figures until Oct. 26, but the Journal said it gained about 12,000 subscribers in the April-September period, compared with a year earlier. That puts its average Monday-Friday circulation at 2.02 million. USA Today, long number one, said last week that it had its worst circulation decline ever, down 17 percent to 1.88 million. Audit rules allow newspapers to count some online-only subscriptions.

Gannett Co., the owner of 82 daily newspapers, including USA Today, fell the most since October after reporting a 25 percent drop in quarterly profit as advertising revenue declined. Net income fell to $68.2 million. Sales dropped 2.6 percent to $1.22 billion. Gannett is struggling to revive revenue growth as the newspaper industry loses ad business to Internet companies such as Google and Facebook.

PITTSBURGH - Most of the questions had been asked of Jim Boeheim in his postgame press conference Thursday when the Syracuse coach decided he had a few things of his own to say. Upset about a story that appeared that day in USA Today, Boeheim decided to hold forth on the issue of Syracuse's academic progress rate and the team's graduation rate, which a USA Today columnist reported was less than 50 percent, and would prohibit the team from playing...

The owner of 82 daily newspapers, including USA Today, rose the most since December. The McLean, Va., company will raise its quarterly dividend to 20 cents a share from 8 cents. The goal is to return more than $1 billion to shareholders by 2015. The company had a 33 percent decrease in quarterly net income as revenue from newspaper advertising fell. "Gannett is trying to break out of the perception that investors should avoid newspapers," said Michael Kupinski, at Noble Financial Group.

Gannett Co., the owner of 82 newspapers including USA Today, sank after it reported a fourth straight drop in quarterly profit amid declining ad sales. Revenue from the company's publishing division, the largest unit, declined 5.3 percent as ads and circulation fell. The newspaper industry overall has continued to lose ad business to Internet companies such as Google Inc. and Facebook Inc.

Mark Wahlberg has been making rounds to promote his new action movie, "Contraband. " On the "Late Show With David Letterman," Wahlberg talked about getting tattoos removed (including a shamrock tattoo he apparently got when he was 12); on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," Wahlberg was a good sport by playing box hockey (obviously, Wahlberg won); and in USA Today, he talked about bringing his kids home to Boston. "Yeah," he told the newspaper. "It's obviously very different from where they live, in Beverly Hills.

Shares of McLean, Va.-based Gannett Co. Inc. rose after the owner of 82 newspapers, including USA Today, and 23 television stations was raised to "buy" from "neutral" at Lazard Capital Markets. The firm cited the increased chances for a dividend boost behind Gannett's jump. Gannett's gains helped lift the stocks of other newspaper owners, including The New York Times Co. (2.20 percent) and E.W. Scripps Co., (2.69 percent).

U.S. newspapers reported a slight increase in circulation the past year as more readers purchased digital subscriptions, according to a media industry group. Average daily circulation in the six months that ended on March 31, rose nearly 1 percent for the 618 newspapers that participated in the Audit Bureau of Circulations semi-annual study, which was released Tuesday. Digital circulation, which includes subscribers who access content on tablet computers, smartphones, e-readers and websites, accounted for 14.2 percent of overall circulation.

The owner of 82 newspapers, including USA Today, and 23 TV stations dropped the most in two months after quarterly profit fell 1.6 percent to $99.8 million as circulation and print-advertising revenue declined. The McLean, Va., company's shares are down 34 percent this year. The New York Times Co., publisher of the namesake newspaper and The Boston Globe, fell 4.3 percent. It reports results Thursday.

When the Merrimack hockey team opened the 2011-12 campaign, the expectations were high but also realistic. Coach Mark Dennehy acknowledged that the offense had taken a hit with the loss of top scorer Stephane Da Costa as well as No. 2 Chris Barton and No. 3 Joe Cucci. The three combined for 120 points last season. Despite that, the coaching staff believed the younger players on the team were ready for more responsibility, and with senior Joe Cannata in goal, the Warriors looked to be in good shape.