• Advertising Age, Monday, August 3, 2009 10:16 PM

Many magazines have been offering all-but-complimentary subs for years because cheap introductory rates attract subscribers who might later renew for more. But more importantly, they have been a way to keep expanding paid circulation to keep advertisers happy.

But how about today, with magazine ad pages falling? Some titles are determined to stay cheap, such as Meredith, publisher of Parents, which has one of the lowest subscription prices in the industry. "We look at our audience from a 'lifetime customer' perspective," says a Meredith rep. "If the readers for Parents become Meredith customers at this point of their lives, as they and their families grow they will migrate to our other media properties and brands, such as Ladies' Home Journal. So there is value bringing them in at a reasonable price point."

Topping the list of cheap magazines are Parents, TV Guide, Yachting, Seventeen and New York for 33 cents per issue to 46 cents per issue. In contrast, the line-up of most expensive magazines is led by Science Illustrated, Cigar Aficionado, Garden & Gun, Flex, and Cooking With Paula for prices ranging from $3.33 per issue to $2.57 per issue.

Read the whole story at Advertising Age »