While the Audit Bureau of Circulations six-month FAS-FAX report issued Monday showed nationwide newspaper circulation down more than 8%, and 6.5% on Sundays, it included some good news for the Web editions.

The same ABC reports revealed subscriptions to electronic editions of the top newspapers had increased 40% over the same period a year ago, according to PaidContent.org.

“The top 25 papers in the category accounted for 1,363,212 electronic subscriptions in the six-month period that ended March 31, 21010, compared with 973,721 in the same period a year ago," the story said. “The Wall Street Journal headed the list with 414,025 e-edition, slightly less than the next six papers combined; then the Detroit Free Press, 105,210 (separately, the Detroit News reported 52,516), and the New York Times, 90,934. The Times more than doubled from 43,884 last year. The gulf is wide: the lowest six papers on this list range between 21,733 and 23,305. Together, numbers 11-25 don't break 390,000”

This is in addition to most paper's seeing Web traffic increases for their regular free Web sites. Now if they could just get the online advertising to increase as well.