When Yahoo, Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) announced that it would partner with newspapers in selling advertising, I had to do a double-take. It's not that this concept has tried and failed, but getting local sponsors to buy into reaching an online audience for a newspaper may not be as easy as it sounds. Yes, the newspaper advertising industry is in horrible shape right now, but then again, a newspaper reader is worth more than an online newspaper reader. Right?Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) scrapped its newspaper ad program just recently after two years of existence. But Yahoo! is going to make it work? That remains to be seen. Still Yahoo!'s online audience is one of the most coveted in the world. The problem is that company has no idea how to property monetize it moving forward. Perhaps newly-hired CEO Carol Bartz can fix that.
Is this what Yahoo! is clamoring for? Taking ad business in an area where its closest competitor has effectively left the market? Hey, if Yahoo! can't win with search advertising, maybe it can win in an offline advertising partnership, right? Maybe. Still, the future viability of newspaper advertising -- even tied to online readership and Yahoo!'s immense global audience -- still won't save either Yahoo! or its newspaper partners. Until then, both parties hope this gravy train is developing fast.
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