Shares in regional newspaper publisher, Johnston Press, were down by 4.5p at 361.5p by 10.00am today, after Merrill Lynch analysts downgraded the group from Buy to Neutral. Worries that consumer spending patterns are about to take a dive underlie the broker’s downgrade (see Neil Blackley Sees ‘Dire’ Decline In Media Industry). Johnston Press derives around… Continue reading Consumer Dip May Put Squeeze On Johnston Press, Say Analysts
ARCHIVE ▸ The Media Leader Staff
The downturn in advertising spend in the US has reached its bottom and is now recovering, Jack Myers quotes JPMorgan analyst Spencer Wang as saying this week. In the Jack Myers Report, Wang is said to be relatively cautious in the short-term, but believes that the long-term fundamentals for media companies remain intact. Looking at… Continue reading US Ad Market Is Recovering, Says Analyst
Over 70% of the UK’s SME ecommerce websites are profitable, according to a new report from the software developer, Actinic. The 2003 SME Ecommerce Market Report found that the rate of adoption of ecommerce among small and medium businesses has fallen from 26% to 21%. However, 71% of websites are profitable and 53% of companies… Continue reading Study Assesses SMEs’ Attitude To Ecommerce
Europe remains the most expensive region in the world for DSL, according to new research from Point Topic. The company based its analysis on average residential tariffs from some of the largest operators in March 2003 and compared this data with similar research carried out in previous years. The study centres on “first year cost”,… Continue reading European Consumers Get A Raw Deal On DSL, Says Report
Global communications network, Aegis Group, has acquired the media buying assets of North American agency, Independent Media Services (IMS), for $7.4 million, the group announced this morning. IMS is a media buying agency which specialises in representing clients in the entertainment sector, specifically in motion pictures, television, cable television, newspapers and the arts. Aegis says… Continue reading Aegis Acquires IMS Media Buying Agency
Gannett, the international media group has reported a small increase in earnings for the first quarter of 2003 but admitted that the war in Iraq had precipitated a slowdown in adspend. The company, which publishes 100 daily newspapers in the US, including USA Today, and owns Newsquest Media Sales in the UK, said yesterday that… Continue reading Gannett Revenues Rise But War Casts A Shadow
Reuters today reported a 10% fall in underlying first quarter earnings as it seeks to recover from a disastrous 2002. The financial information group said that core revenues slipped to £670 million in the first three months of 2003. Pre-tax losses approached £500 million last year (see Reuters Chief Sees No Signs Of Recovery As… Continue reading Bleak Outlook Persists For Reuters
The Wireless Group has reported a 74.8% reduction in operating losses, which were £2.3 million in 2002, down from £9.1 million a year earlier. In its year-end financial results released today, the radio group’s chairman, Kelvin MacKenzie, says that he is expecting to meet the break-even target “despite some of the worst markets the industry… Continue reading Wireless Group Cuts Losses Despite Poor Markets
The internet is starting to play a more prominent role in the marketing mix and this is backed up by figures released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) which show that UK online advertising spend increased by 18.7% to almost £200 million in 2002. After a difficult 2001, during which the market grew by… Continue reading UK Online Advertising Market Grows Up In 2002
Merrill Lynch is reducing its 2003 US radio advertising growth forecast from 4.3% to 3.3%, giving a total spend of $19.5 billion. Analysts say that the downward revision is an attempt to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and avoid any further downgrades. The broker has also cut its Q2 2003 predictions fairly heavily, from 5.0% to… Continue reading Merrill Lynch Downgrades US Radio Growth Forecasts