Worst quarter for US newspapers: Sales dive $2.6B

In the worst quarter in modern history for American newspapers, advertising sales fell by and unprecedented 28.3% in the first three months of 2009, plunging sales by more than $2.6 billion from the prior year.

Statistics posted on the website of the Newspaper Association of America show that print ad sales fell by a historic 29.7% to $5.9 billion in the first period of this year and that online sales fell a record 13.4% to $696.3 million.