[champion6]

Which numbers are you going to believe?

From the Online News site, Oct. 2, 2018:
"A publisher's statement printed in Tuesday's edition of The Villages Daily Sun shows the newspaper's circulation has dipped."

<snip>

"The 'Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation' appeared in 6-point type buried in the back of Tuesday's Sports section.

"It stated the newspaper's daily circulation as of Sept. 26 is 43,610. The publisher's statement from Sept. 25, 2016 indicated a daily circulation of 44,936. The publisher's statement from Oct. 1, 2014 indicated a daily circulation of 43,938."

<snip>

"Many of the Daily Sun copies that are counted as paid circulation aren't going to homes, but rather are complimentary copies made available through the sales centers and businesses such as Citizens First Bank."

From The Villages Daily Sun, Nov. 21, 2018:
"This week the Daily Sun marked its 21st consecutive year of circulation growth as verified by the Alliance for Audited Media, the industry standard for ensuring transparency among media companies and trust among advertisers.

"The Daily Sun is now the fifth largest newspaper in Florida, behind only the Tampa Bay Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Orlando Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post.

"The growth news comes while online sites struggle to win over subscribers and advertisers. The Daily Sun maintains a 92 percent daily market penetration, and 97 percent of residents read the newspaper at least once each week."