Consumer Magazines' Ad Pages Continue Freefall in 1Q of 2013

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Half of the 213 consumer magazines tracked by Publishers Information Bureau ("PIB") suffered declining ad pages during the First Quarter of 2013 compared to the same period a year ago, MediaPost.com reported today.

Although the painful drop-off in ad revenues was widespread, celebrity, lifestyle and women's interest periodicals were particularly hard hit, according to the MediaPost article. Ladies Home Journal experienced a 28 percent decrease to 122 ad pages, Maxim saw a 36 percent shrinkage of ad pages down to 53, Forbes dropped 19 percent to 266 ad pages and OK Weekly was not okay with  22 percent fewer ad pages at 263, compared to the periodicals' respective figures for the first three months of 2012.

The PIB survey found that 67 of the titles it tracked lost 10 percent of their ad pages in a 2013 to 2012 comparision, and 31 periodicals sustained more than a 20 percent decrease in First Quarter 2013 ad pages.

Only bad dogs were heartened by the latest financial news, because it won't hurt as much when owners rap them on the nose with ad-deprived, rolled-up magazines.