Online advertising revenue for newspaper websites in the first quarter totaled $613 million, 34.9 percent more than the year-ago period, according to preliminary estimates from the Newspaper Association of America (via Reuters). That was the eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit increases in newspaper online advertising. Spending for newspaper print ads totaled $10.5 billion, up 0.3 percent compared with the year-ago period.

Combined, newspaper print and online advertising revenue together totaled $11.1 billion in the first quarter of 2006, a 1.8 percent increase from 1Q05.

Among the print categories, classified advertising was up 4.7 percent to $3.8 billion; retail ad spending was down 1.0 percent to $4.8 billion; and national advertising was down 4.8 percent, at $1.7 billion.

In the print classified category, real estate increased 26.3 percent to 1.1 billion; recruitment increased 2.4 percent to $1.1 billion; automotive was down 14.5 percent to $940 million; and all other classifieds were up 11.9 percent to $702 million.

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