According to a report from the News Paper Association of America, newspaper ad sales shrank 28.3%, or $2.6 billion, from where they were during the same quarter of 2008.
- Print ad sales declined 29.7% to $5.9 billion
- Online sales down 13.4% to $696.3 million
- Classifieds down 42.3% to $1.5 billion
- Ad sales collapse 16.6% to $37.8 billion in 2008. The worst decline ever.
- 2009 revenues will likely come in lower than $30 billion, less than they did in 1987
- Employment advertising shrank 67.4% to $205.4 million
- Real Estate down 45.6% to $336.9 million
- Auto down 43.4% to $332.8 million
- National campaigns down 25.9% to $1.1 billion
- Retail down 23.7% to $3.3 billion
- “Other” down 16.5% to $587.7 million
WATCHDOG: Merging the daily newspapers was long overdue. The sooner the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. figures out a way to derive revenue from LancasterOnline.com, the better off it and the public will be.
Failure to focus on feasibility and to anticipate the future can be just as disastrous for a private company as for non-profit organizations.
