20 Oct 2016 Plummeting Newspaper Ad Revenue Sparks New Wave of Changes ( Portfolio ) With global newspaper print advertising on pace for worst decline since recession, publishers cut costs and restructure. Global spending on newspaper print ads is expected to decline 8.7% to $52.6 billion in 2016, according to estimates from GroupM, the ad-buying firm owned by WPP PLC. That would be the biggest drop since the recession, when world-wide spending plummeted 13.7% in 2009.