Although magazine media got plenty of attention earlier this year due to the blockbuster deals made by Meredith and Hearst to acquire Time Inc. and Rodale, respectively, as well as the ripple effects each deal caused, the months that followed were relatively quiet. And as the expression goes, no news is good news. But for decades, August has ignited conversations in and around magazine media about the September issue. And this year has been no different. Unsurprisingly, a few different stories recently surfaced that, in predictable fashion, have written the annual eulogies for print and magazine media. The impetus for these stories arose from a report that print ad spending, among the top 50 advertisers in the U.S., fell 6.4 percent year-over-year in 2017. Further, the September fashion issues are thinner this year than last. What was a surprise, however, was the response by Linda Thomas Brooks, president and CEO of MPA, the association of magazine media. Rather than simply shrugging off the negative press, she took to LinkedIn to express her concerns with the reporting around the data. She writes: I was compelled to write, however, when a recent article so mis-used and mis-understood basic media spending and audience information that they yet again perpetuated a completely misleading narrative. I am moved to respond, not only to balance examples of blatantly one-sided thinking, but to also go on the record that bashing magazines as an industry is not only unwarranted, it... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'
[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]