• by Joe Mandese , July 29, 2004

At a time when consumer and most B-to-B magazines are beginning to show upward momentum in terms of ad page volume, the beleaguered tech magazine sector is showing no sign of a rebound. United Business Media, owner of one of the largest tech publishing group CMP Media, Thursday reported a monthly statistical report indicating that the market fell at roughly double digit rates in June.

The drop is surprising, because the overall tech sector has been showing signs of life on Wall Street and in advertising circles and because the erosion of tech ad pages had begun to moderate earlier this year. Through the first six months of 2004, tech pages were down only 5.9 percent. While still significant, the slide is less severe than what had been occurring ever since the tech sector went into a severe downward spiral following the industry's crash in 2000 and 2001.

Significantly, the ad page erosion appears to be entirely organic. No loss from "discontinued" ad pages were reported in June, through the first half of 2004, or the past 12-months. Discontinued pages refer to tech titles that suspended publication.

Tech Magazine Ad Pages

                    Ad Pages    Vs. Year Earlier 
June '04               5,784               -9.7% 
First Half '04        32,385               -5.9% 
Last 12 Months        68,278
-9.0% 

Source: United Business Media.