The Orange County Register newspaper saw one of the more marked declines in paid circulation in the past six months, according to figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations released Monday.

The Santa Ana-based paper's average daily circulation was 236,270 from April through September, down 15% from the same period a year earlier.

The Sunday edition of the Register was 298,410, down 8%.

The figures illustrate an ongoing trend of how fewer people are reading newspapers amid competition from the Internet and other sources.

The circulation figures also are an important measure for advertisers trying to determine whom they will pay to carry their messages.

Overall the average national daily paper's circulation was down 4.6% in the recent period.

The Los Angeles Times, the county's other major newspaper, saw a 5.2% drop in Monday to Saturday circulation to 739,147.

The Times was down 5.1% on Sundays to a little more than 1 million subscribers.

The Register's above-average decline comes as the paper has been trying to cut costs with layoffs, changes to the paper itself and other moves.

Some of the circulation drop is likely to due to a canceling of some marginal subscriptions that aren't that important for advertisers.

The paper, part of Irvine-based Freedom Communications Inc., has been the subject of sale rumors.

The Register also is said to be considering combining some operations with the Los Angeles Times to save money.