A quick update on our April cover story, "5 Recession-Driven Opportunities": I just read an Advertising Age article in which Bernstein Research, a Wall Street investment research firm, predicts a 20 - 30 percent drop in television ad revenue in 2009. This is yet another sign of how the advertising industry has become a buyer's market. Can we expect the once-prohibitive cost of advertising on major broadcast networks to come down to a level that will be much more palatable to small, independent retailers?

Pet specialty retailers, tell us about your experiences with advertising in today's recession. Send me an email at mkalaygian@petbusiness.com.