eMarketer: Online Ad Spending a Big Story for Media Sites

Almost two out of three newspaper and local TV sites are profitable, according to Borrell Associates, which compiled figures from 711 outlets. The new study shows that local online ads grew by about a quarter between 2002 and 2003. When split out, the newspaper sites were quickly shown to be much more profitable, with about 83 percent showing good margins. Fewer than half of the TV sites were in the black. The study accredited savvy use of classifieds advertising for a good deal of the newspaper sites' success.