Newspapers First will close up shop next month. CEO Bob Termotto confirmed this morning that "June 4th will be the last day" for the newspaper advertising rep firm. A reorganization last July downsized Newspapers First from about 60 to the current 35 persons. "It's just changed that much, and needs a new direction," Termotto said of newspapers' current business environment and "how they're going to handle national advertising."
Dating back almost 50 years, to Million Market Newspapers, Newspapers First is the product of the combination of several large newspaper groups' sales companies over the years. It is owned by the owners of the newspapers it represents. The ad sales organization represented newspapers recently reaching 21 million readers weekdays and 29 million on Sunday, with local Websites accounting for more than a billion monthly page views.
Focused on newspapers in major markets, it represented 34 dailies, from Philadelphia to Houston to Honolulu, with almost half the U.S. population and retail sales in those markets.
Newspapers First promoted its customized buys and local expertise, offering a range of demographic, market-sales and product-usage data, supporting efforts such as developing geo/demographic targeting, and showing advertisers and agencies how to reach an entire DMA or select portions. It helped them target audiences by editorial and lifestyle interests, and assisted with database marketing, product sampling and online advertising.
