• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 2, 2009

Newsstand Sales Fell 31% From 2001-2008

Newsstand sales among the 70 biggest magazines in America have plunged over the last decade -- from an average 22,255,382 in the second half of 2001 to 15,391,518 in the second half of 2008, per an Audit Bureau of Circulations analysis. That's a decline of 31% in just seven years, suggesting that competition from the Internet has taken a big bite out of the magazine business.

The analysis focused on newsstand sales for big-name titles that published continuously from 2001-2008 -- and are still in business today. While usually outnumbered by subscriptions, newsstand sales are widely viewed as indicators of the health of consumer magazines, especially as subscriptions can be inflated with "junk circ." Not every title in the list saw declines of this magnitude. Most had their ups and downs, but 55 out of 70 titles saw newsstand sales fall and the general trend was quite clear, with steady, incremental declines each year: 22.2 million in 2001, 21.5 million in 2002, 19.8 million in 2003, 18.8 million in 2004, 18.4 million in 2005, 17.5 million in 2006, 17.2 million in 2007, and 15.4 million in 2008.

These figures suggest that the long-term decline in evidence from 2001-2007 accelerated during 2008, probably because consumers cut back on extras as the recession took hold. From 2001-2007, newsstand sales fell 23%, or an average 3.3% per year, followed by a 9% drop in 2008.

In alphabetical order, from 2001-2008 some of the biggest losers include Architectural Digest, down 37%, from 129,726 to 81,717; and Better Homes & Gardens, down 36% from 360,833 to 231,333. Other big losers included Country Living, down 59% from 403,451 to 166,615; Entertainment Weekly, down 53% from 106,471 to 50,437; Family Circle, down 52% from 1,654,125 to 789,500; Good Housekeeping, down 45% from 1,025,517 to 570,789; Glamour, down 41% from 1,042,164 to 612,000; Marie Claire, down 51% from 607,125 to 297,597; Maxim, down 51% from 825,162 to 406,290; Money, down 40% from 145,208 to 87,582; Newsweek, down 59% from 260,089 to 106,114; Reader's Digest, down 59% from 693,219 to 283,500; Redbook, down 69% from 588,860 to 180,745; Time, down 51% from 281,161 to 137,610; and Woman's Day, down 66% from 1,493,250 to 505,192.

On the up side: a few titles saw newsstand sales increases: The Economist, up 68% from 44,840 to 75,777, Elle, up 14% from 278,450 to 317,436, and a number of men's lifestyle magazines: Esquire grew 33% from 79,551 to 105,503, GQ was up 15% from 201,864 to 232,667, and Men's Health jumped 32% from 386,575 to 508,518. Another Rodale title -- Runner's World -- soared 38% from 64,870 to 89,510.

Maxim UK Folds Print Edition

In another big blow for the consumer magazine business, the U.K. print edition of Maxim is being folded by owner Dennis Publishing; the June issue will be its last. The British version's Web site will remain. The UK print version will be replaced by the American edition, which Alpha Media bought from Dennis in August 2007. It will appear on newsstands and in subscribers' mailboxes beginning in May. The news follows Alpha's announcement earlier this week that it will close Blender, the music magazine it bought from Dennis along with Stuff and Maxim in 2007. Stuff was closed shortly after the purchase.

More Layoffs at Forbes

Under pressure from the economy and a general downdraft in the business magazine category, Forbes Media announced more layoffs earlier this week, following two earlier rounds since November. Although the company didn't release headcounts, it's believed that about 70 positions were affected in the latest cuts. The company also said it is suspending matching contributions to 401(k)s, reducing salaries and implementing a week-long unpaid furlough.

  Rodale Cuts Prevention Rate Base 15%

Effective in July, Rodale is reducing the rate base of Prevention magazine by 15% -- from about 3.3 million to 2.8 million. This makes Prevention the latest in a series of big titles that have taken the ax to its guaranteed circulation, including Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report and Reader's Digest.