How's 2008? Disaster For Newspapers, Magazines and Radio

MediaPost: "On Wednesday, The New York Times Co. announced another round of dismal second-quarter results, with total ad revenues falling 10.6% compared to the same period in 2007. That contributed to an overall revenue decline of 6%, to $741.9 million.

NYTCO's revenue declines follow similarly dismal second-quarter results from other newspaper publishers like Gannett, where publishing ad revenues fell 13.3% to $1.11 billion, and Media General, with newspaper ad revenues down 17.1%. McClatchy's results--due out Thursday--will not be much better, judging by revenue declines of 14.8% in April and 15.1% in May.

Magazines and radio are not doing quite as badly, but there's no question they are also suffering."

Vast changes at the New York Times

Advertising Age: "How fast, and how treacherous, are the currents sweeping over The New York Times? This September, its home page -- some of the most valuable real estate on the web -- will start automatically displaying links to competitors' takes on big news. That's not your traditional paper of record"

Total Newspaper Readership Grows

MediaPost: "For all the gloom in the newspaper industry, total readership--including Web site visitors--is increasing, according to Mediamark Research and Intelligence, which found a 2.1% increase in audience size to 80.6 million between spring 2007 and spring 2008."

High Wattage at Sun Valley, but No Deals - New York Times

New York Times: "There are a few givens at Allen & Company’s rarefied annual summit for media moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho. Titans arrive in a conga line of private jets, attend some gold-plated panels followed by cocktails, and occasionally head out to the paths of the Sun Valley Resort for a little speed-dating. The guest list is always incandescent — hey, there’s Bill Gates! Tony Blair! Rupert Murdoch! — and the air is thick with rumors of deals."

Last.fm Pays Royalties To Indy Bands

MediaPost: "Last.fm is officially launching an unusual new Artist Royalty Program that will pay royalties to unsigned or independent musicians and bands."

Google Push to Sell Ads On YouTube (and Elsewhere) Hits Snags

WSJ.com: "Mr. Armstrong says it will take Google another five or 10 years to realize its advertising vision. He says advertisers are getting on board, but he acknowledges that the company's main rivals have adopted similar approaches. 'The next five years of the Internet is about execution,' he says."

Poll: Social Network Ads 'All Equally Horrible'

MediaPost: "Readers are asked in the online poll to indicate which social networks had the best ads among Bebo, Friendster, Facebook, hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, 'Other,' and 'They're All Equally Horrible.' Based on more than 700 responses as of Tuesday afternoon, 'Equally Horrible' was in the lead with 256 votes to Facebook's 214."