Trouble in trade pubs: B2B magazines reverse 2011 gains

It’s a reversal of fortune.

After what looked like an upbeat scenario at the end of 2011, B2B ad pages dropped precipitously in the first quarter of this year.

A newly released report from American Business Media (ABM) shows ad pages were down more than 7% in the first quarter of 2012.  That stands in stark contrast with the three previous quarters, when trade publications enjoyed continuous, steady growth in ad pages and revenue.

Even more troubling, the losses have picked up momentum.

The declines in ad pages have snowballed from month to month, with a drop of 6% in January leading to a 7% loss in February, and dipping by 11% in March.

Some categories lost more than others.  The biggest Q1 losers were computing (down 22%), pharma (off by 16%) and healthcare (dropping 12%).

The trend is concerning for freelancers and others who, with the decline of consumer magazines, have looked to trade publications as an alternative source of work.

Find more on the latest BIN (Business Information Network) report at:

http://bit.ly/Lws9VV

Experiencing Huffington.

We checked out the free preview issue of Huffington (let’s leave out the frustrating period at the end; even Huffington Post does it), Arianna Huffington’s new iPad magazine.

Fundamentally, if you love how print magazines present their material, you’ll be nuts about Huffington. The magazine is designed with a front-of-the-book “appetizer”, a feature well, and a back-of-book culture-reviews section for “dessert.” There are videos, of course, but otherwise it’s a print magazine on a digital tablet.

 We chose to look at the preview issue as we thought it would be the sales vehicle and therefore present the magazine in the very best light. But it was a real disappointment. Despite “a full-time in-house staff of two dozen” we were presented with an article about the “Orbit”, the London Olympics “architectural signature” structure illustrated only with what seemed to be the designer’s conceptual drawing and a few construction stills. We have to experience the structure’s “cathedral-like spaces” and inside spiral walkway in words. What a missed video opportunity!

A few weeks before the opening of the Olympics, presenting the Orbit in its unfinished stage creates the impression of a magazine that is as stale and outdated as a print newsweekly, not the up-to-date and fresh tablet publication most readers probably expect from a digital title.      

But Huffington won’t be the only tablet offering from AOL. “We have talked about having a stable of apps, a stable of magazines,” Huffington Post executive editor Tim O’Brien told reporters. “That’s something we’re gonna be aggressive about.”

 Would it be too much to ask to have the editors be aggressive about some state-of-the-art content instead?

What do you think?

Friday News Round-Up for June 15th

The Flying Wallendas still live!  Nik Wallenda rope-walked over Niagra Falls today, a 1,500-foot excursion that the 33-year-old said he hoped would be “peaceful and relaxing.”  Consider yourself inspired.  Now for something safe, read up on the latest magazine industry news. When you see an asterisk* next to a title, that means you’ll find it in the Wooden Horse Database.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED* reportedly is cutting editorial staff through buyouts and possible layoffs.  The Time Inc title has asked reporters and editors to volunteer for buyout packages by June 21.  Some of the measures could extend to the magazine’s kids’ editions, as well as sister properties like GOLF magazine and GOLF.COM…

NFL MAGAZINE and parent company NFL Enterprises LLC are finally issuing refunds to subscribers of the short-lived publication…

CHRISTIAN MARKETPLACE trade magazine will cease publication with the September issue.  The publication has been provided for free and funded entirely by ads…

AVENUE MAGAZINE* will welcome Daisy Prince, dprince@manhattanmedia.com, as the new editor-in-chief on June 26…

HAUTE LIVING* magazine named Renee Lucas, rlucas@hauteliving.com and @renevlucas, as managing editor for the website…

THE ATLANTIC* will say goodbye to business and economics editor Megan McArdle, meganmcardell@theatlantic.com, at the end of August…

MORE* associate editor Rebecca Adler Warren will not be returning at the end of her extended leave…

PREVENTION* lost associate editor Molly Raisch.  No replacement has been named…

POPULAR MECHANICS* named Rachel Arndt, rarndt.hearst.com and @explainedbacon, as an assistant editor…

XOJANE.COM bid farewell to beauty and health editor Cat Marnell…

PARENTING* and PARENTING SCHOOL YEARS* are without editorial assistant Stephanie Eckelkamp, who left recently.  No replacement has been named…

LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL* tapped Spencer Beck, spencer.beck@nichemediallc.com, as editor-in-chief…

PLUMBING ENGINEER magazine hired Jim Schneider, editor@plumbingengineer.com, as the new editorial director…

Wednesday News Round-Up for June 13th

Glad you stopped in to check out the news.  All titles with an asterisk* are part of the Wooden Horse Database.

FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE* will raise its rate base two more times in 2013, reaching 1.55 million by the release of the July/August issue.  This will be the eighth and ninth rate base hikes for the magazine, which premiered in 2009.  It continues to outperform other epicurean publications…

HUFFINGTON. (with a period in the title), the new iPad magazine from THE HUFFINGTON POST*, debuts on Thursday, June 14.  The digital publication employs a full-time staff of 14, and will be available through iTunes for free during the first month…

STAR* reportedly is initiating mass layoffs, with a half-dozen staffers let go on Friday, June 8.  The move is part of a restructuring at both Star and OK!* magazines…

TIME* magazine staffers are awaiting a report and recommendations from Bain & Co., which was brought in to consult in March of this year.  Time Inc is looking for ways to be more profitable…

SPIN* magazine, owned by Spin Media LLC, may be the subject of negotiations, leading to the publication’s acquisition by BuzzMedia…

CQ and ROLL CALL are getting closer to a complete merger, but insist the CQ banner won’t disappear.  The Economist Group bought CQ in 2009, and staff for the two publications have worked under the same roof since March of 2011…

ELLE* bid farewell to senior fashion news editor Nick Axelrod.  No replacement has been named…

PREVENTION* hired Amanda First, amanda.first@rodale.com and @amandafirst, as an editorial assistant…

NYLON* magazine brought in new web editor Jazzi McGilbert, jazzi@nylonmag.com and @jazzimcg…

FAMILY TIME magazine picked up new managing editor Mallory Szczepanski, Mallory@familytimemagazine.com and @MissMalloryS…

NEW JERSEY FAMILY magazine will lose editor Farn Dupre at the end of June…

AT HOME IN ARKANSAS hired new associate editor Rosemary Hallmark, rhallmark@athomearkansas.com and @rohallama…

Changes at the top for a vital industry organization

As the song says, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”  (Lyrics from ‘Closing Time’ by Semisonic)

After 13 years, Nina Link, president and CEO of the Association of Magazine Media (formerly the MPA), announced this week she’ll be stepping down.

Link has the distinction of serving in that post longer than anyone else, and has shepherded the trade and lobbying organization through tumultuous times and sea changes in the industry.

During her tenure, magazine publishers have been pummeled by a historic recession, an explosion of online content and the emergence of digital platforms.  The organization itself is navigating the process of strategic rebranding, after implementing a name change, adjusting to lower revenues and reducing the staff by 25%.

Now the attention will focus on finding a successor, and on what traits and skills that person will need to face future challenges.

The influential organization is involved in key issues like postal reform, audience metrics and providing leadership in the transition to new media platforms.  But its most important role, according to board member and NEW YORK MAGAZINE* editor Larry Burstein, is to “convene competitors in a place where they can talk about their issues.”

Friday News Round-Up for June 8th

News is a bit slow this time of year, so it’s easy to get sucked in by those adorable viral videos.  You know the ones: the flash mob doing ‘The Sound of Music’ in a train station, the twin babies babbling to one another in their own language and, of course, the Best Marriage Proposal Ever (actually, we know that guy).  Our latest fave is the kitten vs. bunny wrestling match.  But we digress, so let’s get to the industry news.  All titles with an asterisk* can be found in the helpful Wooden Horse Database.

MPA president and CEO, Nina Link, will leave her post at the end of 2012, after serving for 13 years.  Her tenure is the longest in the organization’s history.  A search has begun for her successor…

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY* has eliminated three junior-level positions, and those duties have been redistributed to remaining editorial staffers…

REAL SIMPLE* no longer has assistant market editor Amy Bleier Long.  No replacement has been named…

NATIONAL JOURNAL* tapped Caren Bohan, cbohan@nationaljournal.com and @carenbohan, as managing editor for domestic policy…

AARP THE MAGAZINE* tapped Myrna Blyth, mblyth@aarp.org and @mblyth, as the new editorial director and senior vice president…

THE HUFFINGTON POST* named Shana Ecker, shana.ecker@huffingtonpost.com and @SEhomestylist, as Stylist Home section editor…

POLITICO will welcome new senior writer Steve Friess, no email available, @stevefriess, beginning Monday, June 11…

KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE* hired new senior associate editor Sandra Block, sblock@kiplinger.com and @SandyBlock…

A ‘unique’ regional magazine will launch for families of kids with special needs

UNIQUE ME, a South Florida-based magazine for families of special needs children, as well as those who work with them, will launch this summer.

Targeting parents with children who have physical, medical, mental, emotional, behavioral and educational needs, the new publication will offer information and inspiration.  Readers will find articles on nutrition, education, relationships, family dynamics, signs and symptoms, therapy options, books and fashion.

The regional magazine’s editor is Michaelle Arean, marean@uniquememagazine.com.  Find the website at www.uniquememagazine.com.

It’s not just about the beer: A new niche magazine appears in the Twin Cities

THE GROWLER, described as a “lifestyle craft beer magazine,” will hit newsstands in the Twin Cities on June 8.  The title comes from the name given to 64-ounce bottles of beer at craft breweries.

In addition to focusing on home brewing and craft beer, the new bimonthly will include articles on topics associated with the craft beer culture such as cooking, camping, hiking, team sports, biking, music and the arts.

St. Paul-based company Liquid 12 Festivals, which produces craft beer festivals and events, publishes the magazine.  Owner Matt Kenevan, mkenevan@thebeerdabler.com, is leading the magazine, and hopes to expand to Duluth this fall.  Jason Zabel, no email available, @jasonzabel, is serving as editor.  The inaugural issue will have a circulation of 20,000, distributed for free through 300 area locations.  There is no magazine website at this time.

Wednesday News Round-Up for June 6th

With the current season of Mad Men almost over and the deluge of campaign ads on TV in many states (if you live in a swing state, you must throw out your television now), it’s time to open those summer reads and beach books.  Here at the Horse some of us are reading ‘Wild,’ by fellow Oregonian Cheryl Strayed.  So whether you use an e-reader or still favor the feel of paper, hope you find your perfect summer literary companion.  In the meantime, here are a few industry news bites.  All titles with an asterisk* are part of our Wooden Horse Database.

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW* will go ‘digital first,’ posting articles online before they are published in print.  The move is part of a new strategy the magazine will implement over the next four months.  While the print magazine still will be published for the US and international audience, the website will be “the complete repository of everything we publish,” according to publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jason Pontin…

WILSON QUARTERLY* will cease its print edition with the summer issue, and shift exclusively to a digital platform.  The public affairs magazine, published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has been in print for 36 years…

AVIATION & SPACE TECHNOLOGY will relaunch its print and digital editions with the July 2 issue…

TOWN & COUNTRY* snapped up new senior editor Georgina Schaeffer, gschaeffer@townandcountrymag.com and @GBKSchaeffer…

METROPOLIS magazine said goodbye to managing editor Mason Curry…

METROPOLIS tapped Jennifer Gorsche, jen@jennifergorsche.com, as interim managing editor…

Which print magazines will survive? Millennials may provide a clue

The American print magazine audience is graying.

At least, that’s the conventional wisdom.  Only people old enough to remember the Cold War or the first lunar landing still bother with print magazines, right?

Not so fast.

A new analysis of historical data from consumer market research firm GfK MRI shows that people aged 18-24 actually read more print magazines now than they did 10 or 20 years ago.  It just depends on what kind.

Fashion and beauty titles have held up well with millennials, and the celebrity category doubled among people of that age group.  INSTYLE*, a hybrid of fashion and celebrity, has fared especially well.  Magazines targeting foodies are a hit with young adults, as are travel and luxury lifestyle glossies.  Twenty-something men gravitate to GQ* and MAXIM*, and are responsible for much of the growth in fitness titles like MEN’S HEALTH*.

In contrast, magazines with broad appeal, like READER’S DIGEST* and TV GUIDE*, have lost out with young adults.  So have women’s service titles such as LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL*, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING* and REDBOOK*, which traditionally assumed women were taking care of a home and raising children.  Newsweeklies aren’t popular with this demographic either, and are increasingly considered quaint relics in our 24/7 digital/news cycle.

Shelter publications, which saw a surge of younger readers early in the last decade, lost many of them due to the housing crisis and recession.  Reading about decorating your first home or apartment is depressing, and pointless, if you’re an adult who is living with your parents out of economic necessity.

Mining through the data, the results say as much about our evolving lifestyles as they do about demographics.  They may also be a sign of which brands will survive and which ones face extinction.