Trend lines still perilous for newspapers


Martin Langeveld, analyzing, the latest Newspaper Association of America revenue data:

As I’ve argued previously with regard to the NAA’s views on how newspapers are doing in the online arena, where they enjoy less than 1 percent of consumer attention, this data shows the crisis relates to market share, and that newspapers are in danger of dropping to a market share level from which no bounceback is possible.

Langeveld notes that newspaper market share of advertising (print with a dash of online) has been dropping since 1933 with the decline steeping more recently. Newspapers have lost have lost half their market share since just 2000 and are trailing the consumer products components of the national economy.

These long-term trailing trends may mean the recent improved performance, admittedly accomplished by expense cutting, may be a mirage unless additional fundamental changes are made to the business.