• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, February 21, 2012

The end of 2011 did not register any uptick for newspaper publishers, with multiple publishers reporting continued revenue declines in the fourth quarter. That list includes A.H. Belo, the publisher of Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal and Riverside Press-Enterprise, which saw total revenues slip 4.9% from $130 million to $125 million.

As with other big newspaper publishers, the revenue declines were spread across most of the major advertising categories. In 4Q 2011, A.H. Belo said that display advertising revenue decreased 14.3% to $28.8 million, while preprint revenue slid 3% to $26.6 million, classified revenues slipped 1.5% to $15.1 million, and digital revenue tumbled 12.4% to $9.1 million. Advertising revenue from niche publications remained flat at $7.1 million; circulation revenues were also flat at $35.2 million. 

Turning to full-year results, total annual revenues decreased 5.3% to $461.5 million in 2011. Display advertising revenue decreased 15.1% to $101.6 million, preprint revenue slid 3.9% to $87.7 million, classified revenue dropped 7.5% to $58.2 million, and digital revenue slipped 3.7% to $35.2 million. Advertising revenues from niche publications increased 1.7% to $23.8 million, while full-year circulation revenues edged down 0.8% to $139.9 million.

As noted, a number of other newspaper publishers have announced weak fourth quarter results. Total revenues at Gannett fell 5.1% to $1.39 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. The New York Times Co.’s total revenues declined 2.8% to $643 million in the fourth quarter. McClatchy Co. reported that total revenues decreased 5% to $351.4 million, and Media General, which owns newspapers and broadcast TV stations in a number of states, reported that total revenues decreased 11.7% to $168 million.