• December 21, 2007

Advertising spending dropped slightly for the first nine months of the year, according to Nielsen Co.

Nielsen reported that advertising slipped 0.1%. The biggest media-category gainer was the Internet, at 15.9%. National magazines were 7.7% higher, and Sunday national newspaper supplements were 6.0% improved. Outdoor media continued its winning ways--up 5.7%. National cable networks climbed 1.2%.

On the losing end, newspapers again took it on the chin--with local newspapers down 7.4%, and national newspapers off 5.2%. Spot TV advertising--hit by its typical non-Olympics, non-political year--was down 5.0% in the top 100 markets. Network advertising was off 2.5%.

The nation's top 10 U.S. advertisers sank on average 6.3% to $30.5 billion in the first half of 2007, versus the same period of a year ago.