Radio to win newspaper ad dollars, Courtier says

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Radio stations can be expected to pick up local advertising dollars, such as sale-driven commercials from retail outlets, as newspapers shift their businesses online, the chief executive of a top media buying firm said on Tuesday.

Weak advertising environments for the radio and print markets have companies in both segments experimenting with digital outlets and considering buyouts from private investors.

But while some industry watchers lump the two segments together in their woes, Charles Courtier, global CEO of media buyer Mediaedge:cia, said newspaper's move to the Internet could be a windfall in one respect for radio.

"Most people don't think well of radio's future. I don't agree. I actually think that satellite radio particularly is going to have a good future," Courtier told the Reuters Media Summit in New York.

"There is money spent in the newspaper world that is theirs for the taking."

As newspapers move online they may lose some of their local ad focus, though radio may not face the same future, he said.

Courtier saw a "price-driven ... offer-driven advertising role which I think will continue to be important in driving traffic to stores."

The transition will take place as newspapers "inevitably" end up online, he said. "I'm not saying the death of newspapers but I think there's an opportunity for radio there," he said.