Money In

Printed Page 81

For most newspapers, the majority of their revenues derive from selling advertising space. For some papers, ads provide the only source of revenue. Indeed, the majority of large daily papers devote as much as one-half to two-thirds of their pages to advertisements. What remains after the advertising department places the ads in the paper is called the newshole, the space not taken up by ads and devoted to front-page news reports, special regional or topical sections, horoscopes, advice columns, crossword puzzles, and letters to the editor. Accounting for about 15 percent of all ad dollars spent annually in the United States, newspaper advertising—in print and online—can take forms ranging from expensive full-page spreads for department stores to classifieds, which individual consumers can purchase for a few dollars to sell everything from used cars to furniture to exercise equipment. Of course, one of the biggest problems for print newspapers is that consumers can now place most of these ads online free of charge. Some papers are attempting to make up the difference by charging for online access to their news content after readers exceed a number of free monthly visits.