With the Olympics and a hotly contested presidential election, 2008 should be a bumper year for TV networks, newspapers, and magazines. And on the surface, a report by Universal McCann confirms that, predicting an increase of 3.7 percent in the advertising market in 2008 to $294.4 billion. Growth this year is forecast at an anemic 0.7 percent, far below the performance of the economy. Online advertising should grow 24 percent, or $8 billion, to $45 billion next year. One-time events like the Olympics and the election add another $6 billion, not to be repeated. Discount that amount, and take away the growth of online, and you'll see a traditional ad market that's shrinking, not growing. (Photo by azrainman)

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