I've been in the media industry since the 1970s -- starting as editor-in-chief a university newspaper and moving on to positions as reporter and city editor at daily newspapers. After holding various executive positions at Landmark Communications Inc., I started Borrell Associates in 2001 as a research and consulting firm that tracks and forecasts the lifeblood of local media: advertising. Today it serves more than 1,300 companies across North America and the U.K. through its data products, seen at Adspending.com.
Borrell Associates'​ primary product is called Compass, a detailed and interactive database of advertising expenditures in any of the more than 3,000 U.S. and U.K. counties an...