WSJ Overtakes USA Today As Largest Circulation Paper in the Nation

Another reason for newspapers to charge for online subscriptions: They can use those online subscribers to boost their overall circulation numbers.

According to a short item from the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal has now surpassed USA Today as the nation's largest circulation daily. The Journal has 2.02 million subscribers including those who pay for it online; USA Today has a still impressive 1.88 million after a 17 percent drop in circulation. (These numbers come from the Audit Bureau of Circulation.) As a point of reference, the New York Times has an average weekday circulation of 1,033,800 according to the Times Company's own numbers.

This coming Monday, Gannett Company, publisher of USA Today and and 850 other papers nationwide, will host its third quarter earnings conference call with investors. Based on some early leaks of $100 million in earnings, the company's stock rose 15 percent in late September (and helped bump up other newspaper stocks in the process).

Perhaps if they announce a paid subscriber wall around their flagship paper they'll overtake News Corporation's Journal and have even more earnings to celebrate. Then again, how much would you pay for a McPaper?