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'Newsweek' Stab At Lower Circ May Not Pay Off

Newsweek's plans to reshape the magazine into a lower-circulation weekly with a more Economist-like feel do not seem to be paying off. Tucked in the fourth-quarter earnings report from parent Washington Post Company were numbers suggesting the magazine lost $28.1 million in 2009, the first year of the process.

The company said its magazine unit -- encompassing only Newsweek and the recently divested Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel -- lost $29.3 million last year, as revenue declined by 27 percent to $184.2 million. Budget Travel was responsible for a loss of $1.2 million on revenue of $18.7 million. Since Newsweek lowered its circulation -- from 2.6 million to 1.5 million -- it was forced to make corresponding cuts in its ad rates. The company hopes that lower production, distribution and employee costs will eventually enable it to return to profitability.

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