• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 26, 2009

Total ad pages at business-to-business publications fell 30.2% in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. For the beleaguered trade press, which has seen ad pages and revenue fall away at an even faster rate than their peers in consumer magazines, it's a knife in the heart.

ABM's Business Information Network said B2B ad pages fell 32.8% in June compared to the same month in 2008, from 70,874 to 47,630. Total June rate card revenues fell from $857.6 million last year to $613 million this year, a 28.5% drop. For the year-to-date, total ad revenues have fallen 26.5% from $5 billion to $3.7 billion.

All 21 B2B categories tracked by ABM saw ad pages decline by double digits. Categories suffering the biggest losses in ad pages included transportation and logistics, down 54.7%; computing, telecom and software, down 40.7%; electronic engineering, down 36.7%; building, engineering and construction, down 35.8%; movies, radio, TV and video, down 32.5%; banking, finance and insurance, down 32.5%; automotive, down 32.4%; retail and services, down 31%; architecture, design and lighting, down 30.9%; and health care, also down 30.9%. The smallest percentage loss -- 16.2% -- was in science, research and development.

Adding to publisher woes, B2B trade show revenue has also taken a dive, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, which charted a 18.6% overall industry decline in the first half of 2009.

As print revenues plummet, some B2B publishers are trying to sell their ailing print properties, but face an uphill battle. Buyers are deterred by the much-publicized decline of print and the continuing scarcity of credit.

In July, Reed-Elsevier put most of the American magazines in its Reed Business Information portfolio up for sale after a "very difficult first half." The magazines for sale include some familiar media trade publications, like Broadcasting & Cable and Publishers Weekly. However, RBI is holding on to Variety, Reed Construction Data, MarketCast and some other non-media trade publications.

Other B2B print publications have also contracted: Haymarket Media's PR Week went monthly in June, and Ad Age reduced its frequency from 50 issues per year to 44. Radio & Records, owned by Nielsen, ceased publication after its June 5 issue.