Although U.S. local media and local TV stations generated big advertising gains from the Web this year, in 2009 they are expected to experience a serious downturn, Media Post reported Thursday.

According to Borrell Associates, these companies will likely gain some 47 percent more online ad revenues to US$12.9 billion this year, over $8.7 billion in 2007. However, they should brace for a sharp slowdown in the Web areas in 2009.

Along with the ongoing weakening economics, some individual online destinations could expect little or no growth, or even a decrease in local advertising dollars in 2009, Media Post reported.

Borrell is currently predicting only an 8 percent growth in local ad budgets to $13.9 billion, after many years of double-digit or triple-digit percentage rise.

In addition, Borrell said the traditional forms of interactive advertising, including banner ads, are quickly losing favours from local marketers, according to Media Post. For some big media companies, such as News Corp. and CBS Corp., it is not a good news. Both recently have already experienced sharp drops in revenue and profits of traditional TV advertising from their local stations.