• Ad Age, Monday, March 20, 2006 11 AM

Famously eccentric publisher Bob Guccione Jr., son of famously eccentric publisher Bob Guccione, spoke to Ad Age about his acquisition of Discover magazine and the changing nature of the magazine industry itself.  As expected, he did not mince words:  "The main changes have been the deterioration of the notion of [magazines] as a business. It seems now that publishers sell their magazines’ advertising space for ever less while production costs ever more. It seems like there's been an erosion of, just, sense.  More and more titles are congealing into the corporate pool. When that happens, in many cases some individuals can look good and further their careers by short-term gains with long-term health consequences. It's easy to give the magazine away or to give an ad away. But it's not business. You have to bite the bullet and accept that maybe somebody won't buy your magazine for what it's worth. The second and more insidious consideration is the erosion of journalistic value. The content, the work, the ink between the ads is meaningful. When we don’t project that as meaningful, when we're not passionate about it, when we don’t attribute to our journalism a sense of sacredness, we cannot blame the readers for holding us disposable."  Even though his history as a magazine owner (Spin, Gear) is dotted with disappointments and contentiousness, it's impossible to argue with Guccione's obvious love of magazines and his concern for their future.

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