The problem does not appear to be a lack of interest from the newspapers; in a blog post, Google notes that more than 800 newspapers in the US signed up for the program. Instead, it’s a lack of demand from advertisers. Google writes: “While we hoped that Print Ads would create a new revenue stream for newspapers and produce more relevant advertising for consumers, the product has not created the impact that we — or our partners — wanted.”
Print ads debuted in late 2006, and have essentially faced a perfect storm of bad news. Between declining readership of printed newspapers, an economic slowdown that has hampered advertising spending, and the fact that Google was trying to sell ads side-by-side with more measurable Internet ads, the product never really had a chance.