Many newspaper editors are beginning to work more closely with advertising departments in order to increase revenue.

Several factors that have hampered the newspaper industry: the easy availability of news and on the Web, the rise of  and other online ad platforms, the slowing economy, but mostly, "the insufficient communication between the editors and writers generating content and those on the business side charged with selling it to advertisers," according to Louis Hau of Forbes.com.

 "We all have to realize that we're on the same team. We haven't developed that trust," says John Kelly, vice president of advertising for The Palm Beach Post in Palm Beach, Fla.

Des Moines Register editor Carolyn Washburn says "cooperation between the news and advertising staff at the Gannett newspaper now runs far deeper than in the past." For example, before key state high school sports tournaments begin, the paper's sports editor and advertising determine what they can do together.

"It wouldn't have happened 10 years ago,'' Washburn says. "Five years ago, it wouldn't have happened."

Newsrooms must develop an understanding of how online advertising works, argues Todd Brownrout, former advertising executive at The Los Angeles Times. Online advertisements are now the driver of revenue.

But editors and advertisers must agree on the most important revenue factor, since there is no precise measurement for online traffic. Is it more clicks or the length of stay on a webpage?

Brownrout argues, "it's the utility of the content being offered that presents the greatest opportunities. For example, travel Web sites often offer little in the way of original editorial content, but they provide huge function and utility to consumers, which appeals to advertisers."

Source: Forbes.com