Magazines Running Out of Ammo

The Sporting News photo of Jay Hughes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Advertising pages in the consumer magazine sector plunged 8.2 percent in the First Quarter of 2012, compared to First Quarter results last year, according to Publishers' Information Bureau (PIB) statistics cited in Folio (www.Foliomag.com).


Sporting News (a "TUOL" staff fave during their formative years) suffered an 80.1 percent drop-off in ad pages. Overall, the "women's magazine" category performed badly in the First Quarter, PIB numbers reflect, as titles such as O! The Oprah Magazine, Ladies Home Journal and Better Homes & Gardens all endured fewer ad pages. Marie Claire was a shining exception, boasting a 10 percent increase in ad pages.

The numbers weren't much better for news magazine not named Bloomberg, as The Economist slipped 4.8 percent in ad pages over the first three months of 2012, while Time's ad pages sank 21 percent. Automotive and food products were advertising categories that severely cut back on magazine advertising, as only toiletries & cosmetics and apparel & accessories stepped up a periodical presence during the First Quarter of 2012.