Few however, and they are exceptions rather than the rule. In Moscow, much capital is accumulated, the purchasing power of the population and the rates for advertising are higher and several outlets are solvent. W ithout doubt, this is in particular due to the dismal economic conditions in all the republics. The most important consequence is the low and restricted purchasing power of the population. Comprehensibly, it has rendered the subscription to a newspaper an unaffordable luxury for the majority of the population.
Most money is spend on basic goods.
C onsequently, print media are obliged to reduce their cover-price, or ensure it remains at a very low level, if they want to maintain a reasonable printrun. The circulation of newspapers declined over the past years and many publications folded. Currently, printruns vary between 3,000 and 15,000 for the main newspapers in the Transcaucasus. Regional and district publications have lower circulation's. The plummeted overall circulation stabilised only recently.