A "shakier than ever" newspaper industry has dumped about 1,000 staffers a year over the last 20 years — slammed by ad cuts that have contributed to the demise of 100 outlets since since 2004, a new report finds.
The Pew Research Center study finds 2015 was "perhaps the worst year for newspapers since the Great Recession and its immediate aftermath."
"Daily circulation fell by 7 percent, the most since 2010, while advertising revenue at publicly traded newspaper companies fell by 8 percent, the most since 2009. At the same time, newsroom staffing fell by 10 percent in 2014," the report states.
The "State of the Media" report shows 20,000 newspaper staffers have been booted in the last 20 years — and that there's little evidence the trend is ending, or even slowing.
"The State of the News Media in 2016 is uncertain, with daily newspapers looking shakier than ever, digital advertising and audiences continuing to grow, and TV news mostly seeing gains in revenue," the report declares.
The report also finds:
- Digital ad spending went up 20 percent last year, with an "explosive growth" in mobile advertising, which increased by 65 percent.
- Local TV news revenue is relatively steady at $18.6 billion "at least for now."
- Cable news viewership rose 8 percent, to an average of 3.1 million viewers in prime time.
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