Google decided to kill its Print Ads program since it was not profitable enough, Google said. A blow to Google's efforts to expand its ad expertise beyond the Internet, the company will shut the Print Ads program on February 28. The two-year-old service was designed to help newspapers make money by enticing Google advertisers to expand into print newspaper sales.

"While we hoped that Print Ads would create a new revenue stream for newspapers and produce more relevant advertising for consumers, the product has not created the impact that we ? or our partners ? wanted," Spencer Spinnell, Director of Google Print Ads wrote at the company's blog.

Print Ads customers who booked campaigns can place ads through March 31, Google said.

"It is clear that the current Print Ads product is not the right solution, so we are freeing up our resources to try to come up with new and innovative online solutions that will have a meaningful impact for users, advertisers and publishers," Google said.

Google launched the Print Ads program with 50 newspaper partners in November 2006 and it had expanded the network to include more than 800 U.S. newspapers.

Under the terms of the Print Ads program, Google AdWords customers could place newspaper ads in the same way they buy Web page, radio or TV ad space.

Google also has been expanding its ad programs into radio and television, but it is unclear how it those are performing so far.