Belden Associates, a research company that’s served the newspaper industry for 68 years, has formally announced it’s closing. With the industry in such a rapid period of change, you’d think audience and readership research would be more important than ever. But fewer companies than in years gone by are willing to pay for it.

            It’s very disappointing news for us, because we’ve been long-time friends and colleagues of Belden chairman Sammy Papert, he of the Hawaiian print shirts. We partnered with Belden on research for several years, and have always found its information trenchant and action-oriented, its analysis insightful, and its recommendations sound.

Unfortunately, Sammy says, “See if this doesn’t resonate: Our cost structure and many of our products and services were no longer in alignment with evolving customer needs.”

            “There has been a declining appetite for proprietary audience research for quite some time,” he said in an “In the Know” report to clients and friends this week. “Some have even suggested it will decline to, and reach, zero! With such handwriting on the wall, the actual decision to put such a great brand to bed was not as difficult as expected.”

            As you might expect if you know Sammy, he’s handling the wind-down of the business with class and grace, wrapping up projects for clients and taking care of the people he’s worked with over the years. He also allowed Greg Harmon, who has managed Belden’s interactive-media research, to launch a similar brand, Belden Interactive (even though it will be an independent company with no ties to Papert or Belden). Harmon will work with former Belden sales exec and research associate Kathy Beitler; Ed Efchak, a long-time newspaper marketer who was with Belden until the shutdown, and Greg Swanson, of Itz Publishing. We wish them well. As we do Sammy, of course.

            “It is our sincere hope that Belden’s fate, in some small way, serves as a catalyst for BOLD action and EXTREME haste (in reshaping your business),” Papert wrote. We couldn’t agree more.

            *    *    *    *

            (And since any item like this might raise questions about our business, here’s a very simple statement: the AIM Group / Classified Intelligence are still going strong. Business in 2008 was very good – albeit very challenging – and we expect to do well in 2009 as well, even though it, too, will be a difficult year not only for us but for our clients.

(We’re adding new people to replace a few who have left, and we will continue to carry out our mission of helping companies develop successful interactive-media services in all their various forms. If you have any questions about us and our future, be sure to call me or e-mail me at our offices.)