Uninspiring ad sales in first quarter

Magazine ad sales in the U.S -- both consumer and business-to-business -- have been lacklustre for the first quarter of 2006, according to recent releases. Read more about it at MediaPost or by going to the Publishers Information Bureau tab at the Magazine Publishers of America site. The ad results are consistent with (and perhaps the result of) the buzz in the ad world that internet advertising is in the ascendancy.

Through the first three months, consumer magazine ad pages are up just 0.4 percent vs. the same period in 2005. The lackluster consumer magazine stats follow an update Monday by American Business Media, which estimated that ad pages in business magazines declined 2.3 percent in February, after falling 1.8 percent in January.