• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, February 8, 2012

The two main measures of consumer magazines’ vitality -- ad pages and paid circulation -- both took hits in the second half of 2011. The latest circ figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations show total paid circ declining almost 1% from 305.5 million in the second half of 2010 to just under 302.5 million during the same period last year.

Total newsstand sales tumbled 10% to 28.9 million, and the latest round of declines included substantial drops in newsstand sales at a number of big titles.

Among women's lifestyle magazines, Cosmopolitan saw single-copy sales slip 6.7% to 1,460,982, while Redbook fell 19.9% to 104,229. In beauty and fashion titles, Elle tumbled 18.3% to 241,339, In Style slipped 14.2% to 561,630, Teen Vogue was down 13.5% to 130,079 and Glamour fell 9.9% to 469,544. 

In the bridal category, Bridal Guide fell 13.5% from 111,142 to 96,105 and Brides was down 25.8% from 86,293 to 64,143.

Among domestic and homemaking titles, Martha Stewart Living was down 17.1% to 230,312, Good Housekeeping tumbled 14.9% to 325,351, and Better Homes and Gardens fell 12.1% from 196,867 to 173,087.

Celebrity titles also took their hits, with OK! Weekly down 27.5% to 249,561, People 12% to 1,106,244, and Us Weekly 9.5% to 618,491.

Among men's interest magazines, Esquire dropped 17.2% to 79,558, Maxim dropped 15.9% from 237,583 to 199,873, and GQ was down 13.8% to 176,312. Rolling Stone saw newsstand sales decline 18.2% from 124,717 to 102,040.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad news -- some titles posted big increases in newsstand sales. Newcomer Food Network Magazine saw single-copy sales leap 16.4% to 438,354; All You jumped 14.9% to 528,241 and Architectural Digest grew 18.4% from 62,885 to 74,458.