• by Joe Mandese , June 12, 2007

While the conventional wisdom may be that print is becoming a less than robust advertising medium in the digital age, some pretty important numbers appear to refute that. In an analysis of ad spending trends schedules to be announced today by the Magazine Publishers of America, the trade organization finds that consumer magazines have been gaining -- not losing -- share of advertising budgets.

The report, based on an analysis of data from ad tracking firm TNS Media Intelligence, indicates that magazines had a 16.6% share of ad spending in the media monitored by the firm during the first quarter of 2007, up one share point from 15.6% during the first quarter of 2006, and up nearly two share points from 14.7 during the first quarter of 2004.

That makes magazines the fastest growing medium except for the Internet, which grew 1.1 share points to 7.7% of U.S. ad spending during the first quarter of 2007. Importantly, TNS MI's Internet data excludes things like paid search, which would make the medium's share and rate of growth much greater than the display ad spending estimates included in its calculations.

But when online is taken out of the mix, magazines emerge as the most vital of the major traditional media, according to the MPA's analysis, which shows magazines taking share from all other non-digital media, with the exception of out-of-home.

The biggest share gains appear to be coming at the expense of newspapers, which fell 0.9 point since the first quarter of 2006, and a whopping 3.1 points since the first quarter of 2004. Radio declined 0.1 point since the first quarter of 2006, and 0.8 point since the first quarter of 2004.

And while TV lost share over the past year, declining 0.8 point from the first quarter of 2006, it is actually up 0.8 point since the first quarter of 2004.

MEDIA ADVERTISING SHARE Q1 2007 VS. Q1 2006

Media	Jan-Mar 07 % share	Jan-Mar 06 %share	Share % change
Total Consumer Mags	16.6%	15.6%	1.0%
Total TV	46.2%	47.0%	-0.8%
Total Newspaper	17.9%	18.7%	-0.9%
Total Radio	6.5%	6.7%	-0.1%
U.S. Internet	7.7%	6.5%	1.1%
Outdoor	2.4%	2.4%	0.0%

Source: TNS Media Intelligence

MEDIA ADVERTISING SHARE Q1 2007 VS. Q1 2004

Media	Jan-Mar 07 % share	Jan-Mar 04 %share	Share % change
Total Consumer Mags	16.6%	14.7%	1.9%
Total TV	46.2%	45.4%	0.8%
Total Newspaper	17.9%	21.0%	-3.1%
Total Radio	6.5%	7.3%	-0.8%
U.S. Internet	7.7%	5.6%	2.1%
Outdoor	2.4%	2.2%	0.2%

Source: TNS Media Intelligence