• by John Gaffney , November 12, 2002

October continued the positive trend for magazine advertising. According to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), total magazine advertising revenue for the month increased 7.5% compared to October of last year, closing at $1,675,534,615. Ad pages for October totaled 22,386.9, down –0.2 % from last year. Year-to-date, advertising revenue closed at $13,377,965,667, an increase of 2.2%, and ad pages were 182,072.79, down –5.9% from last year.

The only category to lose ground vs. last October was apparel and accessories. Big gainers included home furnishings and media, which both topped 20 percent gains. Pharmaceuticals continued to be the print industry category of the year with a 23 percent jump. Even the tech category, which has been suffering through a dismal year, posted a four percent increase.

High profile ad page winners for the month: Atlantic Monthly (37%), Automobile (48%), Business Week (19%) Fitness (57%), Popular Science (82.35%) Real Simple (103%) and Rolling Stone (64%).