Ad pages continued their downward spiral in the U.S. business press in March. According to estimates released Monday by American Business Media, b-to-b ad pages fell 3.6 percent from March 2004,
though ad revenues declined only 1.3 percent, ostensibly because of higher advertising rates. Through the first quarter of the year, b-to-b ad revenues are up 2.1 percent, while ad pages are down 0.8
percent. Fifteen of the 22 industries reporting posted higher ad revenue than the first quarter of 2004. Strong performers in first quarter revenue included: Banking, Financial, Insurance (up 9.67%);
Manufacturing, Processing (up 9.46%); and Professional Services (up 8.61%). -- J.M.
