Newspapers are regaining strength

Newspapers are regaining strength in recruitment and property classified advertising both in print and online, but are weakening in their share of automotive classifieds, according to the World Association of Newspaper’s third annual Digital Classified Survey.

The survey, contained in a new Strategy Report from WAN’s Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, showed that newspapers in developed countries increased overall revenues by 4.2 percent in 2005 from a year earlier.
Revenues from print classified advertising increased by more than 5 percent during the period, a major improvement compared to the decline of 12 percent reported last year, when overall revenues grew by more than 4 percent.

“The overall figures mask a major contrast between the growth in recruitment and property advertising on the one hand, and the collapsing categories of automotive, travel and private party advertising on the other,” the report said. “The data suggests that the growth in recruitment advertising was not only cyclical, but for the first time newspapers have increased their overall market share in this category. This reversal underscores a promising change for the long-term health of the industry.”

The survey found that 6.8 percent of all classified advertising revenue came from online activities and that two out of three dollars earned by newspapers online are revenues from classified advertising. But, in terms of revenue, the migration appears slower than expected.

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