The newspaper industry succeeded at beating last year's revenues. Errr, revenue declines, that is. In 2007 the industry saw ad revenues slide 8 percent; this year they're on par for a 12 percent drop. Congratulations publishers!

If it makes you feel any better, across the media spectrum at the TV networks — who've seen their ratings plummet by double digits as viewers move to cable channels, video games, and Facebook — managed to beat last year's upfront sales with more than $9 billion in sales.

That the two industries are working with opposite logic signals one thing, which isn't particularly top secret: Advertisers continue to believe in television as an influential way to reach consumers, and they've all but abandoned hope in newspapers to do that.