Magazines
Psst! Shakeout's coming in celeb titles
By Diego Vasquez
Mar 16, 2007, 07:04

Years ago, there was really only one major celebrity magazine, People. Now there's a half-dozen or more. The question is for how much longer.

After exploding several years ago, the newsstand celebrity category quickly became overcrowded. Some titles must go, and media planners and buyers think the first will be the British import OK!, which launched in August 2005.

In a Media Life survey last week, readers were asked to weigh in on the state of celebrity magazines, and there was little disagreement that a shakeout was overdue.

Readers were asked: Do you see a shakeout coming over the next year in the celebrity titles?

More than three-fourths, 78.6 percent, thought so, agreeing with the statement: "Yes. There’s not enough room for all of these magazines."

Just 21.4 percent agreed with the statement: "No. They all have a niche and will continue to thrive."

Well over a third, 42.9 percent, picked OK! as the first title to fold.

Launched by UK publisher Richmond Desmond, OK! came to the U.S. with big promises, including a commitment of $100 million in backing, but the magazine came late to the category and to this day remains something of an afterthought in the minds of media buyers.

Next on the endangered list, in the minds of media buyers, is Life & Style, at 34.3 percent, despite promising gains in circulation and ad pages.

The Bauer publication was sprung out of In Touch, and there may be a sense among buyers that it's too much like that title, one of the most successful launches in recent years.

Indeed, In Touch is among the least likely to fold, in the eyes of media people, with just 10 percent of respondents seeing it as endangered. That puts it ahead of Us, which only 2.9 percent of respondents see as endangered.

The least endangered is People, at just 1.4 percent.

People is also the most respected of the celeb titles. Readers were asked:  Which gossip magazine does the best job – top scoops, most accurate, most fun to read?

People got 43.6 percent of the vote, with Us second at 32.8 percent. Star ranked third at 19.4 percent.

Yet when asked which title did the worst job, Star led the pack, and handily, with 31.8 percent of the vote. Second and third were In Touch and Life & Style with 22.7 and 19.7.

Among the celebrity titles, if a half sister of sorts, is TV Guide, which pulled off a dramatic makeover in the past two years, going to a full-size format and slashing its rate base from 9 million to 3.2 million. It also became more celebrity-driven.

Media Life was curious as to what media people thought of the makeover. The question: What’s your impression of the new TV Guide and its future? Readers were given three choices: a disaster, not so hot, or a success.

The answer: somewhere between not so hot and a disaster.

Just 10.3 percent agreed with the statement: "I think it’s great and it will thrive. They’ve done wonders refreshing the content, it still has a huge circulation, and I have clients who are interested in it."

A third, 33.8 percent, agreed with the statement: "It’s a complete disaster. I see a magazine that lacks an identity and that could be gone in a few years, or at least switch to web-exclusive."

The majority of respondents applaud the makeover in concept but don't think it will revive the title in the long run, agreeing with the statement:

"It’s a noble attempt at a makeover but one that will ultimately fail. There are too many outlets for TV listings now to compete, and none of its content feels fresh. Still, I don’t see it disappearing anytime soon."

Bonnie Fuller, the controversial editor of Star, is herself always a subject of headlines, and the latest reports have her anxious to leave parent American Media and out looking for a new job.

Readers don't think she'll be around much longer. Asked will Fuller be working for American Media in six month, two thirds said no, agreeing with the statement: "No way. It was an ill fit for a brilliant editor. I believe the rumors that she’s headed for TMZ or Hachette Filipacchi."