Magazine Newsstand Sales Dive 12.2%

magazines Total newsstand sales for American consumer magazines fell 12.2% in the first six months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according to the latest figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations on Monday. Combining the average newsstand sales per issue for over 600 weeklies, monthlies, bimonthlies and quarterlies tracked by the ABC, total average newsstand sales fell from 41,516,669 in the first half of 2008 to 36,455,096 this year.

Focusing in on 111 leading titles, the decline in newsstand sales became slightly larger, with a 13.5% decline from 24,875,556 in 2008 to 21,521,023. In terms of categories, some of the biggest declines came in domestic and homemaking titles, down 26%; business, down 25%; and automobile enthusiast, down 18%.

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Also suffering were epicurean/cooking and shelter titles -- both down 14% -- and men's lifestyles, down 13%. Sports and outdoor enthusiast titles, celebrity titles, fashion and beauty, and women's health and fitness all fell 12%. Women's lifestyle magazines were down 9%. Newsweeklies and monthlies, however, were only down 4%.

Although most of the 111 leading titles saw newsstand sales decline, some were hit harder than others. In the domestic and homemaking category, Ladies' Home Journal's newsstand sales tumbled 46% to 183,838 and Better Homes and Gardens' newsstand sales fell 35% to 188,167, compared to an 18% decline at Good Housekeeping , to 468,661.

In the auto category, Car and Driver's newsstand sales fell 25% to 79,174, while Automobile magazine's newsstand sales fell 17% to 44,339. In comparison, Motor Trend's newsstand sales fell a relatively modest 8% to 108,815.

In the celebrity category, OK! Weekly was down 20% to 398,360, while In Touch Weekly fell 18% to 745,123, and People slipped 13% to 1,319,350. Us Weekly fared somewhat better, with just a 3% decline to 843,479.

In the fashion and beauty category, In Style was down 20% to 625,589, Lucky fell 16% to 198,583, Glamour slipped 14% to 589,665, and Elle declined 12% to 297,577

In the women's lifestyles category, Redbook sank 24% to 154,609, Woman's Day slid 22% to 410,147 and Cosmopolitan dipped 8% to 1,616,908.

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