The newspaper plunge slows

The newspaper industry found an extra $6 billion in its couch cushions last year. That’s not new revenue, unfortunately—just newly measured revenue. But it does help give us a better picture of the overall state of the industry via the latest Newspaper Association of America’s numbers. It’s still dismal. But it’s not all bad, unlike any of the previous six years.

The industry was able to slow its decline in 2012 thanks mainly to the paywall movement, but also thanks to new revenue sources. Industry revenue fell $900 million last year, a 2 percent drop—by far the smallest since 2006. Circulation revenue grew 5% in 2012, while a host of new revenue sources not tied to conventional advertising and that barely existed a few years ago grew by 8%. These new revenue sources, which include such items as digital consulting for local business and e-commerce transactions, now account for close to one-in-ten dollars coming into newspaper media companies.