Print Magazines Resist Digital Dominance

The cost of starting a magazine is shockingly high, in the millions in fact. And according to Slate Magazine’s Guy Short, only about three in 10 magazines launched last four years. Add to that an entire generation that knows nothing but digital media. For the Millennials, print media is practically obsolete.

In a 2009 report by the Pew Research Center that studied the behaviors, values, and opinions of today’s teens and twenty-somethings, the institution found that this is the first generation on earth for whom tweeting and texting are simple, normal activities, and not breakthroughs of the digital age. Facebook, YouTube, Google, and Wikipedia are just stops in their social world and searches for information.

With the odds stacked against newspapers, books, and magazines, you would think that print publications would be on the decline. A few years ago long-standing magazines like Vibe started dropping like flies. For example in late 2010 U. S. News & World Report, a magazine that went from a weekly to a semimonthly to a monthly publication, suddenly announced that it would no longer exist as a regularly printed publication. Instead the company shifted its focus to digital media. Editors announced that U. S. News & World Report would become an online-only source of news.

Another factor that strongly affects magazine publication is advertising. A magazine’s page count is directly linked with the amount of advertisements. That is to say, the more advertisers you have, the bigger your magazine can be. However, since the recession, advertisers have been much more reluctant to take out ad space in magazines, because consumers are not purchasing as much. Over the past few years you may have noticed that your favorite magazine has gotten smaller and smaller with ever issue, until finally you might have mistaken it for a pamphlet!

But despite the risks associated with magazine publication in this economic turmoil, the weak magazine advertising market has not dissuaded aspiring publishers from launching new publications. The latest figures from MediaFinder.com, an online database of U. S. and Canadian publications, shows that the total number of new magazines launched in the first half of 2011 came to 138, which is up 53% from 90 in the first half of 2010.

While there have been increases in launches in a range of categories, the most new launches have been in food and regional interest magazine. Some new titles include Gilt Taste and Luckykids. New magazines to hit the stands carry extremely diverse content and tend to focus on niche groups and specializations. In the business-to-business category there were 34 new titles launched, including Progressive Cattleman and Converting Quarterly.

With new publications, magazine lovers can find everything. There’s the youth-oriented, Thrasher magazine, which includes game reviews, advice columns, fashion tips, and industry gossip from the skateboard and music world. There is also the award-winning Smithsonian magazine, which is published by the Smithsonian museum and focuses on science and nature.

On the other hand, the number of magazines to close went down 15%, from 87 in the first half of 2010, to 74 in the first half of 2011. Only 13 business-to-business magazines stopped publication.

Based on the current pace, there should be less magazine closings in 2011 than 2010. Last year a total of 176 magazines closed. The reduced number of magazine closings seems to be in line with the rate of the last few years which has seen a steady decline. For example, according to MediaFinder.com, a total of 525 and 428 magazines closed in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

In recent years there has also been a major shift towards media consumption through digital devices like the Kindle and iPad. Riding the train or sitting in the park, you may be hard pressed to find a person reading a hard copy book or magazine. Instead a lot of people now prefer e-book readers. But believe it or not, GfK MRI found that consumers who own e-readers and tablet computers tend to be heavy readers of the printed versions of magazines and newspapers as well.

Overall, tablet owners are 66% more likely than the average U. S. adult to be avid users of print magazines, while e-reader owners are 23% more likely. However, the findings for newspapers are different. Tablet owners are 54% more likely to be avid newspaper readers, whereas e-readers are 63% more likely. As for Internet use, tablet owners are 79% more likely to be avid users, compared to 36% of e-readers.

Another trend in the magazine industry has been the rise of discount magazines, which has been an undeniable advantage for customers! Companies have slashed prices for print and online magazine subscriptions. For example, NYTimes.com offers digital subscriptions that range in price depending on the level of access. Right now, readers can get unlimited access to NYTimes.com from any device for just 99¢ for the first four weeks. After the introductory period, the rate is $8.75 per week. Similarly, a year-long subscription to pop culture, fashion, and current affairs magazine, Vanity Fair, now only costs $19. 99.

You can also use websites like Acclaimsubscriptions.com to find inexpensive magazine subscriptions. Magazine Land specializes in discount magazines and subscriptions offers readers reductions on over 1600 titles.

In certain ways, the publishing industry has taken a beating on account of the recession, but during the harsh economic times new trends have occurred. Print magazines have had to learn to increase or in some cases completely overhaul their online presence. Now most print magazines post some content from the current issue on their website, while others post original articles and blogs that only appear on the website. In either case, the content is usually free.

Despite the tug of war between print and digital media, one thing remains clear: print magazines are still a popular and relevant form of media. So even though it may appear people now prefer to run their fingers across the screen of an iPad, some people still prefer the feeling of turning a dog-eared page.