U.S. newspaper ad revenue plummets to 1986 level

Newspaper advertising revenue plunged 27 percent last year to its lowest level since 1986, according to figures released Wednesday, reflecting the toll of the recession and a media shift that's driving more marketing dollars to the Internet. Newspapers sold $27.6 billion worth of ads in 2009, a figure that includes both print and online revenue. That's down from $37.8 billion the year before, according to the Newspaper Association of America. The picture is even more grim after adjusting for inflation. The $27 billion in revenue that newspapers received in 1986 would equal nearly $53 billion in today's dollars. Things did improve toward the end of 2009, raising hopes that the worst of the slump is over. Ad revenue in the final three months of the year fell 24 percent from a year earlier to $7.7 billion — the smallest quarterly percentage decline of 2009.