MRI Shows Reader Decline

The new MRI numbers came out last week, and data released from it yesterday showed a slight decline in overall magazine readership led by an eight percent tilt in women's magazines.

Specifically, the data showed a 2 percent decline overall between the spring of 2002 and this week's release of the most recent MRI data, for the spring of 2003. Several magazines were reported for the first time in MRI's spring 2003 data release. They are: AutoWeek (total audience, 2.56 million); FHM (3.82 million); Jane (1.75 million); Nick Jr. Magazine (5.53 million); and Real Simple (2.83 million).

Across the 205 consumer magazines common to both the spring 2002 and spring 2003 studies, 83 titles (40.5%) increased their total audience while 122 titles (59.5%) saw their audience decline.

Looking at eight categories of consumer magazine titles, just two experienced increases in audience-airline/in-flight and men's magazines-and six declined.

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Category     # of Titles     Percent Change
Spring 2003 vs. 2002
Airline/In-Flight     7     7.5%
Men's     6     3.5%
Epicurean     4     -1.3%
Shelter     9     -3.8%
Computer     4     -4.1%
Newsweeklies     3     -4.9%
Business/Personal Fin.     8     -6.1%
"SixSisters"     6     -7.7%

MRI released minimal data publicly and updates its reports only in the spring and fall of each year. Its specific data will now be scoured by print planners and buyers as they look to for new clues to buying in the crowded magazine landscape. MRI releases data to its clients twice yearly, in the spring and fall. The company conducts 26,000 in-home interviews each year, the biggest survey of its kind.

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