The Nielsen Company reported today that U.S. advertising for the first quarter 2009 was down 12% compared to the first quarter 2008. Preliminary figures show that U.S. ad expenditures declined $3.8 billion to a total spend of $27.9 billion in the first quarter.

All measured media showed negative growth in this difficult economy, ranging from Spanish-Language Cable TV (-1.1%) to Local Sunday Supplements (-37.7%).

"These first quarter results will hardly come as a surprise to an advertising industry that's struggling just like many other areas of the American economy," said Annie Touliatos, VP of Sales Development for Monitor-Plus, Nielsen's ad tracking service. "Now more than ever it's important for buyers and sellers to adjust to the changing competitive landscape by carefully analyzing the wide range of advertising intelligence that Nielsen can offer."

Download the full news release, including a breakdown of product category ad spend.