LONDON/WASHINGTON: Print media is suffering particularly heavily in the recession as adspend levels plummet in many markets, but the medium could see its fortunes improve once the financial crisis comes to an end, according to Warc's regular columnist, Tummler.

Marketers are increasingly looking to the web in the downturn, meaning many forms of traditional media, and particularly print, are seeing their advertising revenues decrease, marking the acceleration of a process that began in the early 1990s.

Rupert Murdoch, ceo of News Corp, also recently hailed electronic reading devices like Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader as playing a key role in the future of newspapers, although he added that the climate for the company's news titles was improving at present.

Various other sources, such as The Gannett Company in the US, have similarly displayed at least a qualified degree of optimism about their prospects going forward.

Tummler also argues that the "print media industry is beset by exactly the same recessionary problems and constraints as all other business sectors, the  majority of printed newspapers and magazines  suffer disproportionately in hard times in that they are discretionary purchases."

As such, advertising sales could improve in line with the financial recovery, even if the long-term climate remains slightly uncertain.

To read Tummler's latest column in full, click here.

Data sourced from Warc