LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Times has lent some credibility to the phrase that you can’t believe everything you read in the newspaper — even if it’s on Page One.
The newspaper took the unusual step Thursday of running a front-page advertisement that resembles a news story.
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The ad for the new NBC program “Southland” covers half the height of an entire column and appears on the lower half of the page, below the fold. It’s labeled as an advertisement at the top but occupies space previously reserved for news. The text is adjacent to a graphical display ad for the show at the bottom of the page.
University of Southern California journalism professor Bryce Nelson said it seemed to be the first time in recent history that an ad resembling a news story appeared on the front page of a major U.S. newspaper — something once common in 19th-century newspapers.
“This kind of highly intrusive front-page ad has not been a feature of American journalism in recent decades,” said Nelson, a former national correspondent for the Times.
Like most other newspapers, the Times is struggling as advertising revenues crater amid a deepening recession, exacerbating troubles that began with the migration of advertisers to free and low-cost alternatives online. The Times’ owner, Tribune Co., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December.
The Times said the ad was designed to stretch traditional boundaries.
“The delivery of news and information is a rapidly changing business and the Los Angeles Times is continuously testing innovative approaches,” a newspaper statement said. “That includes creating unique marketing opportunities for our advertising partners.”
Times spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan declined to say how much the newspaper was paid. NBC Universal spokesman Cory Shields did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Banner adds across the bottom of front pages have become common as struggling newspapers seek new revenue sources. The Los Angeles Times has had them before, just not accompanied by an ad resembling news story. Advertisements made to look like news copy are also common on inside pages of many newspapers.
The Times ad that runs below its daily Column One feature purports to be a first-person account of a ride-along with a rookie policeman.
The ad uses a different font from news stories, and a black border separates it and the graphical display ad from the rest of the page.
“This is a loony idea,” said Ken Doctor, a news industry analyst for consultancy Outsell Inc. “It blurs the line for what you can trust in the LA Times and what you can’t.”
The Los Angeles Times is no stranger to controversy over blurring lines between news and promotion.
In 1999, the newspaper faced criticisms that its managers secretly approved a deal to publish a special issue of its weekend magazine about the then-new Staples Center and split ad revenue from the publication with the sports venue. Critics said that deal strained the newspaper’s credibility with its readers.
Nelson said readers will also likely be confused by Thursday’s TV show ad.
“I’ve grown resigned to front-page ads in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, but I think this goes a good deal further,” he said.
