Where did my business section go?

Louis Hau of Forbes writes Wednesday about the cuts — including the cutting of standalone business sections — made by daily newspapers to remain profitable.

Hau writes, “But it’s probably the least worst option for newspapers facing severe cost-cutting pressures, says Todd Brownrout, a former advertising executive at The Los Angeles Times and other newspapers, who is now chief marketing officer of 2AdPro, a provider of outsourced advertising design and management services.

“Brownrout estimates a typical newspaper generates about 35% of its advertising revenue from classified ads and about 15% to 20% from inserts. The main A-section of the paper generates most of the rest, perhaps about two-thirds, while features, business and sports sections account for the remainder.

“‘I don’t think there’s a single publisher who thinks, ‘My readers aren’t interested,’ or ‘I don’t have a commitment,’ or “It’s not valuable,” Brownrout says of the elimination of separate business and features sections. ‘But you end up in a situation where your hands are tied. The market is sending a message that newspapers have to bring their cost base down.’

“Rivals are taking advantage. Weekly business newspapers in Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix and Dallas have notched modest circulation gains during the last two years even as the daily newspapers in those same markets have lost readers, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.”

Read more here.