• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 27, 2011

Affinity Reports Total Audience Estimates on Quarterly Basis

Ad agencies and publishers are demanding more rapid, frequent reporting of magazine audience metrics across print and digital platforms, and research firms are hustling to meet their needs. Affinity said that it will begin reporting total audience estimates for magazines, as part of its American Magazine Study, on a quarterly schedule beginning in spring 2012.

Affinity Chief Operating Officer Tony Incalcatera stated that the increased frequency of AMS reporting "will help our clients to better monitor the evolving magazine marketplace and the changing dynamics of consumers' print and digital readership.” 

Affinity’s AMS is a syndicated service that surveys over 60,000 consumers annually to report the total unduplicated reach of magazine brands across print and multiple digital platforms, including magazine Web sites, social media networks and magazine apps for mobile devices. The AMS study also integrates direct, passive measurement of magazine sites into the total brand audience estimates. Through an agreement with comScore, Inc., Affinity's Web-based methodology incorporates the comScore census tags of AMS panelists, measuring their actual visits to magazine Web sites in real-time.

According to AMS, more than 184 million American adults read magazine-branded content in print or electronic form every month, with 81 million visiting magazine Web sites, 33 million accessing magazine content through mobile devices, and more than 27 million consumers visiting magazines' social media sites.

GSG World Media Launches Magazines Focused on Social Media 

In yet another unexpected media mash-up, social media companies are now the subject of their own, dedicated magazines covering their business applications, courtesy of GSG World Media, according to the New York Post. FB & Business is covering Facebook; Tweeting & Business for Twitter; LI & Business covers LinkedIn; and The Big G & Business is covering Google. Most of the 14 million intended recipients will get digital editions of the magazines; however, 250,000 print versions are also going out to some customers.

Ziff Davis Enterprise Goes All-Digital

Ziff Davis Enterprise has unveiled a new strategy called OmniDigital, with the goal of making the publisher an all-digital platform, per Folio: magazine. Folio: reports that the digital shift will have four main areas of focus: traditional sites, mobile sites, tablets and digital editions. As part of the move, Baseline, CIO Insight and eWeek will transition to digital publishing beginning in January. Once they make the shift, Baseline and CIO Insight will double their frequency to a monthly schedule; eWeek will increase its frequency to biweekly.

Telliho Leaves Budget Travel

Nancy Telliho is stepping down from her post as president of Budget Travel, where she has had a leadership role since 2000 -- first as publisher, and since 2008, as president. The news comes not long after the announcement that Budget Travel editor-in-chief Nina Willdorf is stepping down effective Nov.r 15. The magazine also recently revealed that it will reduce its frequency from bimonthly to 10 times per year.