Data from the Canadian Newspaper Association showing that Canada newspaper revenues only slipped less than one per cent in 2007 have been given some web play over the last week, much of it dealing with contrast with the American industry. The numbers:
Total 2007 revenues, including online operations, slipped only 0.8%, with print advertising decreasing 2.4%. In contrast, online revenue grew 29% over 2006. Newspaper circulation as well took a very minor fall in 2007, decreasing 1.2% after a 3.8% rise the previous year.
Off the top of my head I can think of a number of factors at play here. The Canadian economy is not feeling the same degree of hurt as the U.S. On the big daily front, ownership concentration is pretty dense, and there are some smaller but still significant chains of suburban newspapers that are chugging along quite nicely. The big newspaper chains have made some business smart online moves as well, as they moved fairly early and aggressively into areas like employment and automotive advertising sites.
That’s not to say the same trends that are affecting newspapers elsewhere aren’t also at play here. At various times over the past several years, both local dailies have taken fairly steep readership hits, and the march of technology is as inexorable here as it is everywhere (although we can’t get the iPhone yet, cellphone data rates are absurdly high, and our high-speed internet service is serviceable but nowhere near as robust as elsewhere in the world.) That’s also not to say that all of Canadian journalism is a shining beacon. As is the case everywhere else there’s some that’s excellent, some bad and a big bunch somewhere in the middle.
To me, the good news in the numbers from the CNA is that the relative strength of the industry means that newspapers here in Canada have the revenue to continue to fund the journalism and, more importantly, a little more time to devote to figuring out how to maintain that as the profession moves increasingly online. There’s still urgency but, unlike the situation with newspapers elsewhere on this continent, no need to panic.
Tags: business, canada, newspapers
