http://mashable.com/2007/11/06/newspaper-ad-alliance/

aside from the 1star voter....i find this very interesting.

the above link provides a bit of good info on a newspaper ad network

3% drop last year = interesting
Does anyone know the drops for the years previous? It it like dropping 3% every year?
Is the drop increasing in speed or decreasing? Would love to know.

i was at a marketing presentation last year, and the guy from the news and observer (raleigh) was trying to tell everyone that paper readership was up (totally untrue).

but the readership of the newspaper on the web...is growing a pretty decent clip.

I've heard comments similar to the one Dan mentioned about the N&O claiming readership is up.  I'm thinking that is strictly a rate card game and has to do with an allegedly higher number of readers per copy due to pass-along.  I forget -- don't the audit circ numbers on periodicals break out paid and unpaid copies?  If so, that would knock out all the free copies at hotels frequented by business travelers.

In the same area, I am getting more and more quality free print subscriptions to general circ magazines.  We're not talking The Economist yet, but I'm seeing a lot of well known niche magazines tied to offers for controlled circ magazines (who are all trying for digital delivery)  The pitch is I get a free sub to Spin or US News or whatever, they add one more to the rolls, take a shot at me at renewal time and the industry mags get to keep making a pitch to me every week or 10 days.

The email all goes to our secondary vendor email address so I don't mind the mail, I enjoy the subscriptions and they get an uptick in whatever demographic they're targeting. 

"Overall paid may be down, but look at us with people in major metros and HHI of $X"  (cough)    I know media buyers are smarter than that, but how many inhouse marketing departments try to do a magazine buy on their own?