775,766

Los Angeles Times circulation has dropped to 775,766, according to new numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations FAS-FAX.

LAT Publisher David Hiller spins it with some positive insight, as reported at LA Observed:

Importantly, readership increased modestly for both daily and Sunday, reaching almost 2.2 million daily and 3.3 million Sunday.

How can this be, you ask?

It's about counting not just copies sold, but eyes as well.

As explained by the Audit Bureau, the readers-per-copy average is complicated enough to warrant a white paper on the subject. Anything that's not verifiable by a receipt is bound to cause controversy, especially when advertisers are asked to pay more for an ad because of it.

In the simplest terms, however, reader counts are all about counting not just the people who buy a copy of the paper, but those who read behind the person who bought it. Two people in a subscriber household? Bing! That's two readers for that subscription. Husband and wife buy a paper on their way to breakfast with another couple? Bong! That's four sets of eyes.

So, what Hiller appears to be saying is that fewer people are paying to read the LA Times, but more people are reading it.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Here Lies Felix Unger...

I've got a couple new posts at LA Observed, including one about the modest cemetery in Westwood, at which the actors who portrayed Oscar Madison and Felix Unger in the movie "The Odd Couple" are interred. See Native Intelligence for more.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Better Luck Next Year

Residents of Pinconning, Mich., can start using the old stationary again, at least until next October.

The city's name change to Tigertown was only in effect as long as the Tigers were in the World Series.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Home Sales Plunge 31 Percent, Median Up 2

The California Association of Realtors reported today that home sales decreased 31.7 percent statewide last month when compared to September 2005. The Los Angeles region was right in line with the state trend, experiencing a 31.2 percent drop. Orange County was down 32 percent, and Ventura County sunk nearly 39 percent.

Despite all this, the median home price still increased 1.8 percent statewide.

In LA, the median went from $560,990 in Sept. 2005 to $585,730 last month (down from the August '06 median price of $589,740).

Ventura County, which saw the most significant drop off in sales in Southern California, actually bumped up its median price, from $682,360 in Sept. '05 to $686,730 last month.

The median price in the OC dropped to $706,490 from $708,840 last year.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Selling High-End Homes On YouTube?

Just imagine having drinks with Annette Bening, Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson "because those would be your neighbors if you purchase this home." Seriously, that's part of the sales pitch in this video tour of a "Beverly Hills Mansion With Views of the Pacific," as posted on YouTube.

Not sure how effective it is marketing mansions on YouTube, but there's plenty of real estate professionals in Los Angeles using it as a resource.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Now Blogging At LA Observed ...

I'm proud to say I have been asked by Kevin Roderick, founder and editor of LA Observed, to join his team of contributors at large.

As a result, I have begun posting in the Native Intelligence section of the LA Observed Web site, and will continue to do so at least on a weekly basis, but hopefully more often than that.

Little will change at TJ Sullivan in LA. My posts here will continue to focus on the pursuit of the American dream in Los Angeles. I plan to provide links on this blog to my writing at Native Intelligence, where the emphasis will be observations and news about Los Angeles, particularly the West Side.

I hope you'll find it worthwhile to visit both Web sites.

My first post at Native Intelligence is headlined Planet Starbucks knows no boundaries.

— TJ Sullivan in LA