Community papers retaining ad revenue

While ad revenue for large print papers across the country has been plummeting for several quarters, a new report shows that community papers are doing much better, according to Editor & Publisher.

In fact, a new report issued jointly by the Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA) and the National Newspaper Association (NNA) found that in Q3 2008 advertising revenue for their groups fell only 1.7% to $394 million, compared to the same period a year ago.
Meanwhile, the Newspaper Association of America that keeps a tally of advertising revenue used as a benchmark for the industry found overall ad revenue dropped 18% to $8.9 billion in the same quarter.

The article explains the huge difference between community papers and larger dailies by pointing to the popularity and effectiveness of hyper-local advertising.
When the audience for the paper as a whole is much smaller, advertisers are able to more effectively target their intended audience. This keeps their confidence relatively high even in a rough economic situation.

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