Declining advertising continues to rock monthly magazines, which have seen their ad-page count tumble 23 percent for year-to-date compared with a year ago, according to data to be released today by Media Industry Newsletter.
The numbers signal the pace of the decline is accelerating in this year’s first half compared with last year’s first half, when the monthly mags’ ad-page count tanked 11 percent.
Only eight of the 118 consumer monthlies monitored by MIN posted gains during the reporting period. They are Fitness (up nearly 19 percent), Flex (up 18 percent), Saveur (up 11 percent), People’s Style Watch (up 16 percent), Successful Farming (up 10 percent), Family Circle (up 8 percent), Hunting (up 8 percent) and Sports Illustrated Kids (up nearly 5 percent).
Condé Nast, the glitziest of all magazine publishers, is reeling more than any other publisher. Only four of its magazines are off by less than 30 percent.
Industry sources said it is increasingly unlikely that Condé Nast, which does more than $2 billion a year in revenues, will be able to avoid losing millions of dollars this year. The dive is said to be so steep that even decent September issues — traditionally the fattest of the year in the fashion world — will not be able to wipe out the red ink.
In the first half, flagship Vogue, helmed by Anna Wintour, was down more than 31 percent to 915 ad pages.