Extra! Extra! Barack Obama's historic win causes a run on newspapers

(UPDATE: Online sales of the historic Nov. 5 edition of the L.A. Times, plus special front-page posters, printing plates and oversized magnets, have begun. Click here for more info.) But first check out this new video:

Today is a good day for president-elect Barack Obama.

It's also a good day for newspapers.

Across the nation, people have been snapping up newspapers bearing Obama-related headlines at record rates. The Los Angeles Times, which printed 30,000-40,000 more copies than it usually does last night, sold out this morning.

Today, the newspaper is printing an extra run of 30,000 copies to meet demand. That's good news for the dozens of people who lined up outside the newspaper's office in downtown Los Angeles, clamoring for copies.

Other newspapers around the country are also printing extra copies, according to Romenesko, a blog about the journalism industry at Poynter.org.

The Chicago Tribune and New York Times are printing 50,000 extra newspapers, Romenesko reports, and the Washington Post is printing 150,000 copies of a commemorative edition of today's paper. The Chicago Tribune will distribute an additional 200,000 copies of the paper, according to insiders there.

On EBay, copies of the historic papers are being auctioned as "collectors items." As of 1:30 p.m. PST, 15 people had bid on one copy of today's New York Times. The starting bid for that paper was $100 (it cost just $1.50 on the street).

The news of the run on papers is a bright spot for the ailing newspaper industry, which has suffered in recent years from a decline in circulation. It also probably has editors across the country wistfully thinking this:

If only there could be a historic presidential election every day ...

(UPDATE: Interest in coverage of the election has not been limited to print. LATimes.com received record traffic yesterday, recording 8.36 million page views in just 24 hours. The previous one-day record, set in 2007, was 8.2 million views during the California fires.)

-- Kate Linthicum

Don't miss any new Ticket items as we chronicle the construction of the Obama administration and the new Congress. Go here and register for automatic alerts to your cellphone.

Video credit: Ticket video by Sachi Cunningham

Comments

[Autodidact]

That's great. I hope you enjoy your popularity while you can, and sell lots of November 5 issues. But you just lost me. I have been reading your paper every day for over fifty years. This morning I finally cancelled my subscription. Obama ran a corrupt and fraudulent campaign (Acorn? Foreign donations? Registering dead voters? Questionable past associates? Lack of experience? You won't hear about any of that here! Let's talk about Sarah Palin's shoes.) The media, including your paper, did not care to ask tough questions. You propped him up, never raised an embarrassing topic, never investigated, and actively withheld a videotape, in the possession of the Times, of a Jew-bashing dinner Obama attended. The media's corrupt conduct in this election is without precedent. Obama may have won, but you have lost. I won't miss the LA Times at all.

[Omar]

I just stopped by the Times Building downtown this evening, though they stopped selling them at 7pm, I could pick one up tommorow. The paper should tell online readers they could pick one up downtown, Maybe even give a tour of the building

[cali]

dont worry Autodidact , I don't think the la times will be missing your money, for every subscription they lose they have 50 more that are signed up

[dodgergal]

Can i still pick up a reprint newspaper for 11/4/08 on Obama's win in the LA Times office in downtown?

I went to markets, liquor stores, street stands and no newspapers.

Please let me know.

Thank you.

(The online sales of the Nov. 5 edition, special posters and printing plates begins Monday, Nov. 10. Quantities at that time will become unlimited. We will post an item that morning on how to do that. Please check back on The Ticket.)

[LESLIE PRICE]

I WILL LIKE TO PURCHASE 4 EDITIONS OF THE NOV. 5, 2008, I WILL I PURCHASE THE EDITIONS ONLINE.

(The online sales of that edition, special posters and printing plates begins Monday, Nov. 10. Quantities at that time will become unlimited. We will post an item early that morning on how to do that. Please check back on The Ticket then.)

[kathy walker]

please contact me on the nov.5 newspaper ad i really want one

(Click on the link at the top of this item and order whatever you want.)