Disruption, displacement and disaggregation. Those are the descriptors in this report on the International Newspaper Marketing Association's recent study on the state of play for 2009. The outlook is bleak and confused and the response is particularly messy as media stock are hit hard and their abilities hampered to finance necessary capital for the transformation.
But INMA also notes the profitability remains high, so the conditions under which change is taking place are not necessarily impossible.
"Everywhere in the INMA network worldwide, there is evidence of slowdowns. The mood ranges from cautious to moribund. In fast-growing India, there is talk of a cooling off period for the circulation wars as newspapers are faced with higher newsprint costs and lower advertising<' says the report, written by executive director Earl Wilkinson.
