• by Frank Saxe , January 9, 2003

Total magazine advertising revenue for December increased 20.1% compared to December 2001, with revenues totaling $1.595 billion, according to the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages for December totaled 20,666, up 10.7% from last year.

“We are pleased that 2002 ended on a positive note,” commented executive VP Ellen Oppenheim. “It is heartening to see the continued return of advertiser confidence.”

The industry closed the books on 2002 with a 4.8% increase in revenues, while at the same time the number of ad pages fell 3.2% compared to 2001. In terms of ad pages, the most dramatic decrease in spending in 2002 came from technology spenders, falling 17%, while spending increased in eight of the 12 major advertising categories. Pharmaceutical spending helped fuel the Drugs & Remedies ad category to a year-end 11.5% increase.