According to the latest Certified Audit of Circulation report, Metro US, America's leading daily freesheet, has become the 5th largest circulated newspaper in the country, Reuters has reported. In doing so, the publication has overtaken the Washington Post. The latest figures report a circulation of 590,553 daily copies across New York, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Available Monday through Friday and with content varied city by city, Metro US cites young professionals as its target audience, which it clearly meets considering its number one position among the group, according to the 2009 Scarborough Survey. Among all print publications Metro reaches the highest percentage of adults 18-49 years old.

The publication attributes its unique reach in the market to its flexibility, having recently redesigned the paper to include a weekend edition, and new creative advertising solutions; including glossy and zoned cover wraps, an interactive text poll and editorial sponsorships.

Pelle Tornberg, Founder and CEO of SeaBay Media, explains that: "Our free papers provide the Twittering, blogging, and Facebooking generation with something new and different, quick news and bite-size information, which means they can keep up to speed in a 20-minute commute".

Whilst the advertising downturn has wreaked havoc for traditional newspapers battling to adapt age of online news, Metro has understood the dynamics of the market for free content from the start. In a time when paid newspapers circulation is dwindling, as well as other free sheets struggling to stay alive (the London paper closed earlier this year and the London Lite has just announced its closure) Metro's growth and commitment to free and quality news is particularly impressive.

According to six-month daily average figures released Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the leading paid-for newspapers` circulations decreased an average of 13% in New York, 9% in Philadelphia, and 18% in Boston. The national average daily circulation plunged 10.6% - one of the most severe drops in overall circulation in the past ten years.

Source: Reuters