D-G, Morning News see decreases in circulation.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had an average daily paid circulation in northwest Arkansas of 37,052 for the 12 months ended March 31.

That's for Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties combined and is down almost 2 percent from the previous year. The paper gained about 2 percent in circulation from 2007 to 2008, so current numbers are roughly the same as 2007 levels.

The Morning News of Springdale, meanwhile, had an average daily paid circulation of 31,479 for the same period for its five-county designated market area, down more than 5 percent. In addition to the four counties mentioned above, The Morning News' market area included McDonald County in Missouri. However, the paper has since dropped the county, so the next circulation audit in 2010 will be slightly skewed.

Circulation for the Sunday edition of both publications was also down. The northwest Arkansas distribution of the Democrat-Gazette dipped by 251 subscribers, less than 1 percent. The Morning News' Sunday paper lost about 2,200 subscribers, or more than 5 percent.

The final audited figures come from the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Las Vegas-based Stephens Media, which publishes The Morning News, previously had three weekly papers in Washington County (the Farmington Post, the Lincoln Leader and the Prairie Grove Enterprise), but all were collapsed into the Lincoln Enterprise Leader in June. Combined, those publications lost 106 subscribers from June 2008 to June 2009.

Wehco Media, owner of the Democrat-Gazette, also publishes 11 weekly papers in northwest Arkansas. The company could not provide June-to-June numbers, so the 2009 numbers are from May. The White River Valley News was its worst performer, losing 23 percent of its paid subscriptions.