Katie Kuehner-Hebert over at the business news site Portfolio.com wrote a story about the strength of community newspapers, a trend noted in the 2009 4th Quarter Newspaper Industry Review. She reached out to Mediaspace Solutions president Scot Kerr for his thinking on why these papers show strength, quoting:

Scot Kerr, president at Mediaspace Solutions in Norwalk, Connecticut, said that most community newspapers do not have the huge debt burden of many larger dailies. Plus, most smaller papers do not own their own printing presses, and so they have the ability to seek competing bids from outside printers.

Journalists seeking expert opinion on issues of newspaper media should contact:

Viveca Woods
VMW Public Relations LLC
646-418-6934

Mediaspace Solutions today released their Q4 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Review, providing an executive summary view of recent and meaningful news stories and events that took place within the newspaper media industry - both print and online.

Highlights of the Q4 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Review include:

• Updates on print circulation declines and online audience increases
• Latest news on News Corp. vs. Google content debate
• Topline review of newspapers that ceased publishing and newspapers that grew in 2009
• Analysis of newspaper stock rally at year’s end

Download the Q4 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review as a PDF. Also, you can read some of the articles used to compile this review on the Mediaspace Solutions delicious.com page.

Q3 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review

Q2 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review

Q1 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review

Mediaspace Solutions today released their Q3 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review, providing an executive summary view of the substantial changes that took place in the newspaper industry.

Highlights of the Q3 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review include:

• In print, circulation, readership and revenue continue to fall
• Online, unique visitors have increased while revenue has fallen
• #1 newspaper buzzword from the summer: “Paywall”

Download the Q3 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review as an MS-Word document. Also, you can read some of the articles used to compile this review on the Mediaspace Solutions delicious.com page.

Q2 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review

Q1 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review

The Giving Thanks program was featured in a very nice post by Karen Egolf on her Ad Age blog about corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Everybody at Mediaspace Solutions appreciates the great support this program has received, and we very much hope that it can generate real impact across the country.

Once again, News 12 CT was nice enough to cover the launch of our food drive.

As we did last year, Mediaspace Solutions is mailing out hundreds of food bank donation “starter kits” to advertisers and agencies across the country.

Each box contains a generously-sized bag and a few non-perishable food items to get started. We encourage recipients to fill the bag with appropriate food items and drop it off at a local food bank.

With the help of our newspaper partners, we have compiled a list of food banks in major markets (~ 1MB PDF) across the country. We encourage recipients who don’t find a location on our list to contact Feeding America (formerly Second Harvest) who keep a national database of food banks.

Mediaspace Solutions today released their Q2 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review, providing an executive summary view of the substantial changes that took place in the newspaper industry. The company’s initial public release covering Q1 ‘09 is available here.

Highlights of the Q2 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review include:

• The combined print and online newspaper audience continues to grow with new web readers more than replacing lost print readers
• Many publishers are considering a shift to paid online news content which many industry leaders predict will increase the “value” of the newspaper’s editorial product
• Those that can successfully charge for web access expect to see their pricing for online advertising rise through the increased value
• Innovation rules the day  - printing technology, alternative circulation models, mobile feeds, union concessions, reorganized newsrooms are all predicted for this evolution
• Acquisitions and partnerships with local and hyper-local media vehicles can strengthen brand positions within local markets.

Download the Q2 ‘09 Newspaper Industry Quarterly Review as an MS-Word Document

Download the press release as an MS-Word Document

Mediaspace Solutions today announced that it is releasing to the public its quarterly reviews of the newspaper industry. Originally released only to clients, these comprehensive reviews offer insight into the shifting landscape of the newspaper industry, based on research studies and news reports.

The releases began with a review of Q1 ‘09. Highlights of the review include:

Mediaspace Solutions today announced that it is releasing to the public its quarterly reviews of the newspaper industry. Originally released only to clients, these comprehensive reviews offer insight into the shifting landscape of the newspaper industry, based on research studies and news reports.
The releases began with a review of Q1 ‘09. Highlights of the review include:

• Total newspaper audience increased, but low-margin web readers are replacing high-margin print readers
• Few newspapers have ceased operations entirely, but several have gone online-only
• Pre-existing joint operation agreements (JOAs) can allow a “surviving” daily to absorb circulation when a competitor stops printing operations or closes altogether
• Intentionally shrinking circulation to lower costs and improve the quality of the readership
• Smaller newspaper sizes, fewer sections to reduce printing costs
• Reductions also include staff and the number of days published

Download the Q1 ‘09 Review as an MS-Word document

Free Web-based Tool Equips Advertisers & Agencies with Up-to-Date DMA Info for Print & Online Media Readership

Norwalk, CT. –July 15, 2009 - Mediaspace Solutions®, a multi-market newspaper and online advertising services provider, today announced it is providing advertisers and newspaper media professionals with unprecedented access to Mediaspace Solutions’ database of newspapers media information in a free, simple Multi-Media Mashup™. It is a city-focused tool that features the major newspapers in hundreds of cities across the country.

The Multi-Media Mashup™ aggregates print circulation and web visitor figures into a single view on a Google map. It provides valuable, up-to-date information for advertisers and agencies seeking a simplified source of DMA information in the top two hundred markets, ranging from New York City and Austin, Texas, to Juneau, Alaska. Virtual pins mark specific cities and provide category information, daily and Sunday circulation figures. In addition to print audience numbers, figures are provided for unique and daily visitors as well as page view statistics for newspaper websites. Newspaper information is taken from Mediaspace Solutions’ comprehensive set of data resources, including ABC Fas-Fax and PlanET™.

Mediaspace Solutions PlanET is web-based media planning tool that provides agencies and advertisers with access to the industry’s most extensive newspaper media database and executes a wide range of media planning functions. PlanET enables users to identify newspapers, secure rates and circulation, build and edit media lists, create and edit advertising plans and generate instant earned rate estimates.

“This free, user friendly tool is by far the most extensive source of combined print and online newspaper data on the web. It gives advertisers and agencies a quick glance of the entire newspaper realm in various markets on one screen,” said Deborah Armstrong, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mediaspace Solutions. “This mashup simplifies what has traditionally been a tedious, time consuming function in newspaper advertising, determining which markets best fit campaigns designed for different regions or budgets. Mediaspace Solutions is excited to offer this remarkable, leading edge solution to newspaper media professionals,” added Armstrong.

For more information on the newspaper Multi-Media Mashup™, visit:

http://www.mediaspacesolutions.com/clustered_map/