New Miserable Numbers Prove 2009 Was Newspapers' Worst Year Since The Depression: Here are the hard, cold facts:
* Total print advertising revenue in 2009 was down 27.2 %, by just under $10 billion, compared to 2008.
* Classified print ads were down 38.1%.
* Retail ads were down 24.2%.
* From its most successful year in 2005, total print revenue was down by almost half at 44.2%, as the New York Times points out. "The last time advertisers spent less on newspapers was in 1986." Ouch.
* Online ad revenue didn't fare well either: It sunk 11.8% in 2009 compared to 2008. So much for news' Great Digital Hope, unless ad sales teams get busy in 2010.
