Media: Special Report

A standard assumption among prognosticators of media investment that presidential contests and the Olympics will “lift all boats” every four years. For media already on a roll—network TV, digital, out-of-home—the outlook for 2008 is, indeed, full steam ahead. But deep-pocketed White House aspirants and the overhyped, overprogrammed quadrennial games will do little to turn vessels running aground, forecasters concur.

While all media will likely benefit, at least marginally, from a flood of campaign bucks, it’s a sure bet that contribution won’t save struggling segments including newspapers (whose ’08 ad sales will remain stagnant, per PricewaterhouseCoopers), consumer magazines (projected to rise a less-than-robust 2.8