San Jose paper has more readers than WP, NYDN? How could that be?

Romenesko Letters
George Edmonson writes after reading today’s newspaper circulation report that puts the San Jose Mercury News at No. 5 in the top 25 newspapers by circulation:

Can you or someone explain the San Jose Mercury News figures? They must include all of [Dean] Singleton’s papers in the Bay Area. I think it’s impossible for the daily and Sunday numbers to be for the Mercury News alone unless they’ve discovered the Fountain of Circulation in Silicon Valley.

Poynter newspaper industry analyst Rick Edmonds has an answer:

George: You are right in your guess. San Jose now includes all MediaNews properties in the Bay Area. These are designated “branded editions” under new ABC rules. Others boosting their numbers with this approach are Chicago Sun Times (suburban dailies), Philadelphia Inquirer (Daily News) and the MediaNews Los Angeles group. This is treated in my explainer story — link out from Jim’s piece.

> “Branded edition” figures are explored in Nat Ives’ piece on the circulation report