Total print revenues fell 25.6% to just over $6.9 billion, while total online revenues declined 1% to just over $770 million.
As in previous quarters, losses were spread across all the major newspaper advertising categories, with classifieds tumbling 31.7% to $1.76 billion, retail falling 24.3% to $3.93 billion, and national down 19.8% to $1.22 billion.
Although the double-digit fourth-quarter drop can't quite be construed as good news, it is a smaller decline in percentage terms than the previous three quarters, when total revenues fell 28.3%, 29%, and 27.9%, respectively.
For the full year, total print ad revenues fell 28.6% from 2008 to $24.82 billion, while total online revenues fell 11.8% to $2.74 billion; the combined print and online total fell 27.2% to $27.56 billion.
The 2009 total represents a 44% decline from peak advertising revenues of $49.43 billion in 2005.
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