• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 18, 2006

After posting a turnaround for 2005, the business-to-business media marketplace is getting off to a weak start in 2006. Ad revenues for U.S. trade magazines are flat through the first two months of the year, while ad pages have slid 1.4 percent from the first two months of 2005, according to estimates released late Monday by American Business Media.

Despite the lackluster start, ABM President-CEO Gordon Hughes said the trade association still forecasts B-to-B media revenues will grow 5 percent in 2006. But through the first two months, conditions appear to be worsening, not improving. In January, B-to-B ad pages were down 1.8 percent vs. January 2005. In February, ad pages declined 2.3 percent vs. February 2005.

The downturn comes after an upswing in 2005 that grew ad pages 3.9 percent, though the year ended on a softening note with December pages up just 1.7 percent.

The business press appears to be mirroring the soft start of the consumer magazine industry. After ending 2005 on an upswing, consumer magazine ad pages declined once again in January, falling 1.9 percent from January 2005, according to estimates from the Publishers Information Bureau. Consumer ad pages, however, rose 2.2 percent in February, and the PIB is poised to report March estimates soon.

The ABM noted that 2005 also began on a slow note, but that demand picked up throughout the year, and said this year is "expected to follow a similar trend."