CIRCULATION DROPS FOR MANY U.S. DAILY NEWSPAPERS

     Nine of the ten largest metropolitan dailies lost weekday
circulation during the more recent reporting period, according to
data released yesterday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Publishers "blamed several factors, including higher newsstand
prices and the baseball and hockey labor disputes."  Of the ten
largest dailies, only the Boston Globe did not lose weekday
readers, instead showing a small average daily increase.  The top
losers:  Newsday (-7.03%), San Francisco Chronicle (-5.18%), N.Y.
Daily News (-5.0%), Chicago Sun Times (-4.34%), L.A. Times (-
4.18%), Detroit Free Press (-3.39%), Philadelphia Inquirer (-
3.15%), Newark Star-Ledger (-2.83%), Miami Herald (-2.29%),
Minneapolis Star-Tribune (-1.86%), Washington Post (-1.41%), N.Y.
Times (-1.38%), Chicago Tribune (-.87%), Detroit News (-.55%),
and Houston Chronicle (-.55%) (William Glaberson, N.Y. TIMES,
5/2).  The largest increases in circulation wer shown by the N.Y.
Post, Denver Post, Arizona Republic and San Diego Union Tribune
(N.Y. POST, 5/2).