• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 8, 2009

Ad spending in the U.S. media tracked by the Nielsen Co. declined 12% during the first quarter of 2009, as compared with the same quarter in 2008. Preliminary figures show that the decline amounts to a drop of $3.8 billion in total U.S. ad spending, Nielsen said. 

All of the media measured declined, but Spanish- and English-language cable TV fared the best. Hispanic cable networks declined 1.1%, while general market cable networks fell 2.7%, followed by Internet display advertising, which declined 3.4%.

Broadcast network TV also appears to be performing relatively well, as the major broadcast networks head into their upfront negotiations for the 2009-10 season. Network TV ad spending fell 4.8% during the quarter, only a third of the rate of erosion of the overall advertising marketplace.

Sunday newspaper supplements -- down 37.7% -- experienced the greatest erosion of any major U.S. ad medium, followed by B-to-B magazines (-29.9%), spot TV (-28.9%) and national newspapers (-27.7%).

"These first quarter results will hardly come as a surprise to an advertising industry that's struggling just like many other areas of the American economy," stated Annie Touliatos, vice president-sales development for Nielsen's Monitor-Plus unit. "Now more than ever, it's important for buyers and sellers to adjust to the changing competitive landscape by carefully analyzing the wide range of advertising intelligence that Nielsen can offer."