This Just In: The Media Business Is Auto-Dependent Too
Think web sites are saturated with car ads? The internet's got nothing on local TV.
The graphic on the right comes from a recent Wall Street Journal article (preview only) on car makers' attempts to curb their advertising budgets. The amount of money pouring into the media from the auto industry is staggering. Analysts predict that spending on car ads will total $15 billion this year (the good news: it peaked at $24 billion in 2004). Declining or not, these ad dollars deliver an indispensable chunk of revenue across the media spectrum.
The most car-dependent media formats are the local type, especially TV stations. And who else is going to cover stories on pedestrian improvements, bicycle infrastructure, Summer Streets, or -- I dunno -- congestion pricing? Imagine if bike companies and transit providers could sink billions into local media markets, or conversely, if car makers spent next to nothing... how different would transportation coverage be?
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog Los Angeles
Brightline West Breaks Ground on Vegas to SoCal High-Speed Rail
Brightline West will be a 218-mile 186-mile-per-hour rail line from Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga - about 40 miles east of downtown L.A. - expected to open in 2028
This Week In Livable Streets
Active Streets Mission-to-Mission, LAPD reports on its use of force in 2023, Pasadena Transit plans, Metro subway construction, and more
Eyes on the Street: Santa Monica Connection from E Line Bike Path to Downtown Is Almost Complete
“Always be closing gaps in your bikeway network.”
CicLAvia Opens Venice Boulevard – Open Thread
CicLAvia opened six miles of Venice Boulevard - from Culver City Station to Venice Beach
