Newspaper Advertising Sales Up 5.1% in 2000

Newspaper advertising sales rose 5.1% to $48.7 billion in 2000, according to preliminary figures from the Newspaper Assn. of America. The association had projected an increase of 5.8% in September before announcing third-quarter sales. The report showed that ad sales slowed in the second half as the U.S. economy cooled. Sales rose 5.7% in the first quarter, 6.8% in the second quarter, 4.3% in the third and 4.1% in the fourth. For the full year, retail advertising increased 2.4% to $21.4 billion, while classified-ad sales rose 5.1% to $19.6 billion. Nonlocal advertising jumped the most, by 14% to $7.7 billion. None of the categories showed a decrease in any of the quarters. In January, the group projected 2001 ad growth of 5.1%. The nonprofit association, based in Vienna, Va., represents the newspaper industry and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.