Agency

Total measured advertising expenditures in the opening quarter of 2009 plunged 14.2 percent versus a year ago, to $30.18 billion, according to data released by TNS Media Intelligence. This follows a 9.2 percent decline in Q4 2008 as the advertising recession accelerated in the new year.

With the digital television transition only two days away, the Federal Communications Commission wants consumers to know that digital television (DTV) is much more than just a technical formality. The transition will usher in advanced broadcasting technology that will transform consumers’ television viewing experiences.

GlobalHue announced that Robert Fitzgerald will join the company as Executive Vice President – Media Director, replacing Tracy Decker, who recently left the agency.

Older Hispanic workers can play a dynamic role in helping solve long-term challenges for many employers, as the traditional labor pool of workers ages 25-54 stagnates, according to a new AARP report.

That is a key finding of the AARP study that focuses on the so-called “invisible” Boomers – Hispanics – as a growing segment of the U.S. workforce. Despite their growing importance, there has been little public and media attention given so far to older Hispanics.

The Nielsen Company reported today that U.S. advertising for the first quarter 2009 was down 12% compared to the first quarter 2008. Preliminary figures show that U.S. ad expenditures declined $3.8 billion to a total spend of $27.9 billion in the first quarter.

Over the last four years, the ethnic media have picked up 8 million new readers, viewers and listeners, and now regularly reach 57 million people in the U.S., according to a poll released by New America Media (NAM). The increase comes as mainstream media, especially metropolitan daily newspapers, struggle to keep their audiences.