• by Michael Shields , January 11, 2005

After a slow start, the magazine industry made a solid return to apparent health in 2004. According to the final Publishers Information Bureau (PIB) numbers for the year, ad pages registered a solid if not spectacular 3.8 percent gain totaling 234,387.32 in 2004, despite being down for the first four months of the year.

Revenue for the year surged by 11.1 percent, closing at $21,355,202,802 as the industry saw its strongest gains in dollars and pages since the banner year of 2000.

December was particularly potent, as pages increased 10.4 percent from the previous year, while revenue jumped by a whopping 17.2 percent.

But the best story for the magazine business was the range of 2004's recovery, as 11 of the 12 major advertising categories saw increases in revenue and pages over the previous year, led by the Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; Food & Food Products; Media & Advertising; and Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts categories. In December, 10 of the 12 major advertising categories were on the rise, including six categories enjoying double-digit page and revenue gains.

Ellen Oppenheim, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Magazine Publishers of America, spoke of a renewed optimism in the magazine industry, given this year's improved performance, coupled with an overall increase in confidence among advertisers when it comes to the strength of magazines.

"It's not like we are relying on one thing [for this growth]," she said. "A lot of cylinders are firing."

Oppenheim acknowledged that the industry was building off of a "softer second half of 2003," but expressed confidence in this year's results. "The texture of this recovery feels different," she said. "There have been changes in the way people are talking about magazines, and the breadth of the recovery is promising."

While 2004 closed with a late surge, as three of the last four months saw a page growth of 8 percent or higher, Oppenheim indicated she would not be shocked if a brief slowdown occurred in early 2005. "We keep hearing that budgeting is much more last-minute," she said.

However, she cautioned against putting too much weight into any brief dip, given that recoveries are typically uneven. "Looking at a month at one time does not offer a complete picture," she said.

The magazines with the largest percentage declines in ad pages in 2004 were the shaken Martha Stewart Living (-46.6 percent), the defunct YM (-42.2 percent), plus Renovation Style (-31 percent), Fit Pregnancy (-26.2 percent), SI for Kids (-24.8 percent), and Fast Company(-21.3 percent).

Meanwhile, among the largest gainers in ad pages were Organic Style (+ 81.0 percent), Teen Vogue (+67.1 percent), Scientific American (+45.4 percent), and Harper's Bazaar (+31 percent).

The magazines taking in the largest amount of revenue in 2004 were People ($768,985,890), Sports Illustrated ($726,352,285), Better Homes & Gardens, ($712,281,507), Time ($700,069,079), and Newsweek ($510,956,059).