According to the Associated Press, magazine sales dropped by 6.3% during the first half of 2008, as consumers have begun to cut back on non-essential spending. Further, overall sales results show that magazine circulation has remained flat this year, with the mix being that newsstand numbers are down and  subscriptions are up.

Subscription counts, as many of us know, are no indicator to overall circulation revenues, as many publishers often sell them at rates far lower than newsstand. The bargain basement subscription pricing is often done to ensure that the reach they promise advertisers can be attained.

The circulation issue plaguing most magazines is no different from that of newspapers. More and more readers are finding the quick and robust information access that the Internet provides to be more advantageous than that of traditional print media. Even the nation’s top selling newsstand magazine, Hearst Co.’s Cosmopolitan, has already seen a 6 per cent decline in circulation, thus far this year.

Some analysts disagree with me however and site the economy, and not Internet accessibility, as the sole reason for the declines: “This is nothing more than really just the impact of the economy,” said John Harrington, an industry analyst with Harrington Associates. “People are shopping very cautiously and less frequently, avoiding impulse buys, which are what magazine purchases are.” Well let’s hope Harrington is right – but something tells me that even when the economy does bounce back, “paid for” print circulation will not.

written by Beverly Crandon