The Economics of Magazines

Printed Page 115

Whatever their circulation size, specialty, or format (print or online), magazines must bring in money (for example, from advertising revenues and subscription fees) to fulfill their mission and compete with other media. For instance, to combat loss of ad dollars to TV, many magazines publish special editions that guarantee advertisers access to their target markets. These competitive strategies fueled the massive growth of magazines despite competition from television, but now magazines face new challenges from Web sites, blogs, and social media, all competing for audiences and ad dollars. Magazines must also invest money to carry out the business processes essential to their operations—such as content development, production, sales and marketing, and distribution. To extend their reach, lower their costs, and beef up their budgets, many magazines have merged into large chains, often backed financially by major media conglomerates. Even large chains, however, are not immune to the economic reality that many well-known magazine titles continue to cease production entirely.