Newspapers: Times to Sell Ads on Front of Business Section, shrink width

The New York Times plans to sell advertisements on the front of its Business Day section starting in two weeks. The ads are expected to sell at a premium rate because of the prominent showcase the front of the section affords. They will appear in a strip along the bottom of the page.

The change comes as The Times, along with other newspapers, faces an increasingly difficult economic environment. The Times already runs ads on the front of The Metro Section on Sundays, and some newspapers, including USA Today, are now selling advertising space on their front pages — a move The Wall Street Journal, for one, has said it is considering.

Giving such valuable space to advertisers has been controversial within the newspaper industry. But as more newspapers put ads on their section fronts, and most newspaper Web sites run ads on their virtual front pages, the practice may be losing some of its stigma.

Read the full article describing other cost cutting methods suggested in Times to Sell Ads on Front of Business Section (FREE registeration required at nytimes.com)