Journal Communications said total newspaper publishing revenues dipped 3.8% from $38 million in the first quarter of 2012 to $36.6 million in the first quarter of 2013 -- but this decline was more
than offset by big gains in TV and radio broadcast revenues, which jumped 31.1% from $44.4 million to $58.2 million over the same period.
That reflects the acquisition of NewsChannel5 in
Nashville and a 7% increase in radio revenues. On a same-station basis, broadcast revenues were up 6%. As a result, total revenues increased 15.1% from $82.3 million to $94.7 million.
Although the company’s newspaper division posted weak results, if recently divested community newspapers in northern Wisconsin are excluded total revenues would actually have increased 2%.
The Journal sees improving trends at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, its flagship newspaper, including an uptick in retail and digital advertising as well as commercial printing.
Journal’s broadcast revenues were buoyed by increases in both local and national advertising, up 3.2% and 7.5% on a same-station basis, when political advertising is excluded.
Broadcast TV retransmission revenues soared 145% to $5.4 million.
Journal’s newspaper results are broadly in line with other big newspaper publishers in the first quarter of the
year. The Washington Post Co.’s newspaper division saw total revenues slip 4% from $132.5 million in the first quarter of 2012 to $127.3 million in the first quarter of 2013, and McClatchy
Co.’s total revenues also fell 4% to $276.7 million, due to a decline in ad revenues, which fell 6% to $197.1 million.
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