Single copy slaes declines were widespread, affecting every major publishing house. “The good news was that paid subscriptions actually increased a bit, meaning that over all, circulation fell 1.2 percent, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations report.” The New York Times Folio: Aug. 31, 2009
In a recent poll of media buyers, 54% said that they believe printed celebrity magazines will continue to find in audience in five years, notwithstanding the growth of celeb gossip websites, such as TMZ.com. Media Life July 27, 2009
Several signs indicate that the recession may be over, but in a lengthy piece, Newsweek suggests that the recovery may not feel like much of a recovery for a very long time. Newsweek July 25, 2009
The National Retail Federation is forecasting a 0.5% reduction in U.S. retail sales this year, the first year-over-year decline in fourteen years. Bloomberg News National Retail Federation Jan. 27, 2009
Retail sales fell 2.2 percent for the November/December holiday shopping season, the biggest decline in almost 30 tears, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. The 1.7% drop in December sales came on the heels of a 2.7 percent decline during the previous month, as consumers fretted about tightened budgets and job insecurity. The [...]
The NYT reports on signs of a new coupon chic. Among them, Time Inc.’s Wal-Mart-only All You is offering subscribers to a new weekly e-mail newsletter, All You Deals and Meals, an advance look at coupons to appear in the coming issue of the magazine. The New York Times (Dec. 4, 2008)
Peter Craig of Los Angeles-based magazine consultancy Bay Sherman & Craig predicts improvement in the magazine publishing business, after the housing and financial crises settle down — he thinks — by the middle of next year. Media Life (Oct. 22, 2008)
Frugal all year, U.S. consumers appear to be pulling back sharply on consumer spending in recent weeks, as the financial crisis has deepened. Economists are now predicting that spending shrank in the quarter just ended, which, if true, would be the first quarterly decline in almost twenty years. The New York Times (Oct. 5, 2008)
Consumer spending in August turned in its weakest performance since the last “flat” month — February. Some observers attribute the poor performance to the drying-up of the government stimulas well. The last of those checks went out mid-July. The New York Times (Sept. 29, 2008)
The ranks of news magazines declined by almost 40% from 2003 to 2008 (from 75 to 45 titles), according to the National Directory of Magazines, which catalogs more than 20,500 U.S. and Canadian publications. The biggest category of magazines is regionals. They number more than 1,100, appealing to both readers (who love everything local) and [...]