2009: Not a Good Year for Magazines

Display of current magazines

at the Middleton (WI) Public Library

Link to February 9 New York Times article, "Newsstand Sales and Circulation Fall for Magazines".

Excerpt: Newsstand sales for the almost 500 consumer magazines in the United States measured by the Audit Bureau of Circulations declined 9.1 percent, to 39.3 million, in the last half of 2009 versus the same period a year earlier, the organization reported on Monday. That follows a 12.36 percent decline for the first half of 2009 compared with the same period a year earlier and an 11.12 percent decline for July through December 2008 compared with the same period in 2007.

“Single-copy sales are very recession sensitive — it’s a discretionary, impulse purchase,” said Kenneth Godshall, executive vice president for consumer marketing at the industry group Magazine Publishers of America. “We’re encouraged that the rate of decline has slowed.”

Notable drop-offs

Newsweek, down 41.3% to about 62,000 for an average issue.

Time, down 34.9 % to about 90,000.

SmartMoney, down 37 % to about 26,000.

Good Housekeeping, down 30.7 % to 395,000

Redbook, down 30.1 % to 126,000.