Google giving up on newspaper print ads

SAN FRANCISCO: Even Internet powerhouse Google finds newspaper advertising a tough sell.

Google is abandoning a two-year-old program intended to put the California firm's online expertise to work auctioning off space on newspaper pages to bargain-seeking advertisers.

In February, Google will halt a Print Ads program it launched with 50 newspaper partners in November of 2006.

"While we hoped that Print Ads would create a new revenue stream for newspapers and produce more relevant advertising for consumers, the product has not created the impact that we, or our partners, wanted," Google Print Ads director Spencer Spinnell wrote in an online posting.

Elimination of Print Ads comes as Google cuts costs in the face of a struggling economy that has slowed even the online advertising king's money-making machine.

Spinnell said Google still has teams working with newspaper publishers to find ways for them to earn cash by using AdSense, YouTube, Google Maps, and other of its services or tools.

"We believe fair and accurate journalism and timely news are critical ingredients to a healthy democracy," Spinnell wrote.

"We remain dedicated to working with publishers to develop new ways for them to earn money, distribute and aggregate content and attract new readers online."