Ad spending expected to increase

In what has to be a good sign for everyone, advertising spending is expected to increase for virtually all forms of media -- except for local newspapers. The latest Advertiser Optimism Report indicates improved confidence (meaning more spending expected) in most sections, although broadcast TV, radio, magazines and national newspapers are still weak, and local newspapers are still trending negative.
As an observer who has watched the local metro newspaper slash and burn its advertising sales department, I've wondered how it thinks that local advertising will recover if there is no one left to sell ads. I've heard anecdotally that there are so few advertising salespeople that only major accounts are receiving even rudimentary service, and that things have reached the point where prospective advertisers can't even find anyone to take their money.
Meanwhile, the geniuses who have driven American business into the ground by totally misreading their markets continue to pour the few dollars they are allocating to advertising into digital, a largely unproven medium.