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At last, business
titles gain in ad pages


Category is up 5 percent for first-half 2011

Jul 13, 2011
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The business and finance magazines have been walloped hard by the two ad recessions over the past decade, with ad pages in the category dwindling to roughly half their peak levels and nearly half a dozen major publications shutting down.

But those titles that weathered the slumps are finally coming back.

Ad pages in the category were up 5 percent during the first half of the year, according to the Publishers Information Bureau, well above the 0.3 percent overall growth rate for consumer magazines.

The comeback is due in large part to a major bump in spending by the financial, insurance and real estate category, which was up 15.3 percent during first half, more than any other ad category.

The bulk of that advertising came from banks, investor consultancies, software and insurance firms, which are all trying to reach the upscale readership found in business and finance titles.

Interestingly, one of the biggest gainers in the category is a magazine that nearly met the same fate as Business 2.0, Industry Standard and other titles wiped out during the past two recessions.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek, the money-losing publication that McGraw-Hill sold to Bloomberg nearly two years ago, saw a 15.8 percent rise in ad pages during first half, second only to Fast Company (up 17.1 percent) in the category.

BusinessWeek also had the second-most ad pages overall with 666.63, behind Forbes' 767.18.

The business and finance category was one of 16 magazine categories tracked by Media Life to see gains during the first half of the year. The other nine saw decreases, compared to seven categories that fell during first quarter.

Newsweeklies, another bellwether category for the industry, continued their tepid comeback with growth of 1.3 percent. The category was pulled down by the recently sold Newsweek, which saw ad pages decline 27.4 percent, while all the other publications rose.

Fashion also saw healthy gains, up 7.8 percent with just two of eight titles still in negative territory heading into their all-important fall issues, which sell the most ad pages.

But other categories continue to struggle. Parenting saw the biggest dip, down 9.1 percent, roughly double the category's first-quarter decline.

And women's service magazines, which held up decently during the recession, were down 6.2 percent.

Motorboating saw the biggest first-half ad page gains of any title, up 70.2 percent, followed by Departures, up 63 percent, and National Geographic Kids, up 44.6 percent.

U.S Airways Magazine saw the biggest decline, down 32.5 percent. Renovation Style was down second-most, 28.8 percent, and Newsweek third-most, 27.4 percent.

People had the most ad pages, 1,684.75, followed by Bride's, New York, In Style and Flex.

Automotive
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE

27,320,418

25,805,758

5.9

253.16

253.04

0.0

AUTOWEEK

15,921,531

12,733,047

25.0

453.18

356.36

27.2

CAR AND DRIVER

71,806,301

74,258,699

-3.3

372.98

388.59

-4.0

HOT ROD

27,930,008

24,738,053

12.9

257.74

232.38

10.9

MOTOR TREND

61,960,697

58,994,402

5.0

339.38

344.16

-1.4

ROAD & TRACK

39,353,501

42,641,380

-7.7

372.98

378.37

-1.4

TOTALS

244,292,456

239,171,339

2.1

2049.42

1952.9

4.9

Source: PIB

Entertainment/Celebrity
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

97,754,362

84,917,079

15.1

551.21

502.53

9.7

IN TOUCH WEEKLY

51,312,556

52,463,218

-2.2

439.59

456.68

-3.7

LIFE & STYLE WEEKLY

15,222,674

14,145,235

7.6

253.98

242.51

4.7

OK WEEKLY

44,632,060

45,007,310

-0.8

535.78

560.06

-4.3

PEOPLE

503,395,210

502,405,318

0.2

1,684.75

1,768.68

-4.7

STAR

90,056,043

91,625,657

-1.7

721.88

698.80

3.3

TV GUIDE

55,965,143

40,907,777

36.8

370.25

283.45

30.6

US WEEKLY

200,011,014

162,254,224

23.3

974.97

824.79

18.2

TOTALS

1,058,349,062

993,725,818

6.5

5532.41

5337.5

3.7

Source: PIB

Music
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ROLLING STONE

82,930,069

68,394,815

21.3

444.39

385.54

15.3

SPIN

10,377,879

9,485,104

9.4

181.58

166.70

8.9

TOTALS

93,307,948

77,879,919

19.8

625.97

552.24

13.4

Source: PIB

Teen
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

J-14

2,473,251

2,025,434

22.1

79.98

66.98

19.4

SEVENTEEN

52,317,241

46,058,383

13.6

372.61

350.14

6.4

TEEN VOGUE

44,102,244

40,434,885

9.1

369.27

354.59

4.1

TOTALS

98,892,736

88,518,702

11.7

821.86

771.71

6.5

Source: PIB

Women's service/beauty
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ALLURE

76,616,335

70,086,548

9.3

561.88

537.38

4.6

COSMOPOLITAN

183,408,737

179,186,086

2.4

673.64

703.47

-4.2

GLAMOUR

148,568,814

135,826,983

9.4

717.83

690.60

3.9

MARIE CLAIRE

80,114,547

71,419,647

12.2

621.10

585.57

6.1

TOTALS

488,708,433

456,519,264

7.1

2574.45

2517.02

2.3

Source: PIB

Fashion
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ELLE

155,066,009

125,274,510

23.8

1,085.60

939.85

15.5

HARPER'S BAZAAR

86,986,116

87,388,389

-0.5

712.77

753.15

-5.4

IN STYLE

177,404,227

161,984,847

9.5

1,156.87

1,105.03

4.7

LUCKY

58,253,961

58,783,506

-0.9

487.47

519.03

-6.1

PEOPLE STYLE WATCH

43,066,471

27,866,157

54.5

569.19

398.27

42.9

TOWN & COUNTRY

37,376,586

36,476,076

2.5

412.03

409.25

0.7

VOGUE

169,890,938

146,117,763

16.3

1,094.12

984.97

11.1

W

41,860,163

38,097,207

9.9

439.87

419.61

4.8

TOTALS

769,904,471

681,988,455

12.9

5957.92

5529.16

7.8

Source: PIB

Travel
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ARTHUR FROMMERS BDGT TRVL

11,153,447

12,475,982

-10.6

184.40

220.40

-16.3

CONDE NAST TRAVELER

57,160,269

53,392,614

7.1

462.37

452.71

2.1

DEPARTURES

26,329,317

15,399,078

71.0

295.51

181.25

63.0

ENDLESS VACATION

5,242,914

5,589,263

-6.2

62.03

67.12

-7.6

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRVLR

15,984,397

16,007,709

-0.1

193.54

205.83

-6.0

TRAVEL+ LEISURE

57,974,654

58,433,234

-0.8

487.74

514.24

-5.2

TOTALS

173,844,998

161,297,880

7.8

1685.59

1641.55

2.7

Source: PIB

General Interest & Lifestyle
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

AARP-THE MAGAZINE

67,805,870

65,800,774

3.0

110.03

103.19

6.6

ATLANTIC MONTHLY THE

14,287,902

14,269,086

0.1

213.97

222.75

-3.9

GUIDEPOSTS

16,420,629

16,551,731

-0.8

206.46

215.49

-4.2

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

43,407,240

34,640,872

25.3

177.30

149.84

18.3

NEW YORK MAGAZINE

96,347,689

90,819,567

6.1

1,242.48

1,167.51

6.4

NEW YORKER

77,048,564

70,871,803

8.7

533.91

507.71

5.2

READER'S DIGEST

78,490,487

74,533,637

5.3

373.75

358.14

4.4

SMITHSONIAN

31,408,089

25,956,197

21.0

203.97

169.56

20.3

SOUTHERN LIVING

90,407,951

89,202,208

1.4

469.77

486.36

-3.4

SUNSET

36,534,008

39,130,126

-6.6

315.38

343.89

-8.3

TEXAS MONTHLY

32,814,138

27,102,003

21.1

851.85

712.37

19.6

VANITY FAIR

114,099,930

99,643,615

14.5

650.73

610.67

6.6

TOTALS

699,072,497

648,521,619

7.8

5349.6

5047.48

6.0

Source: PIB

  

Parenting
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

AMERICAN BABY

53,404,286

65,800,774

3.0

110.03

103.19

6.6

BABY TALK

33,795,106

34,769,403

-2.8

199.38

214.73

-7.1

FAMILY FUN

48,637,170

55,247,052

-12.0

259.33

310.15

-16.4

PARENTING EARLY YEARS

47,003,858

49,165,895

-4.4

340.62

370.91

-8.2

PARENTING SCHOOL YEARS

14,564,227

16,532,148

-11.9

279.66

326.33

-14.3

PARENTS

107,324,603

110,712,289

-3.1

603.34

645.57

-6.5

TOTALS

304,729,250

332,227,561

-8.3

1792.36

1970.88

-9.1

Source: PIB

 

Personal finance
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BARRONS

30,392,053

28,586,215

6.3

627.23

619.48

1.3

KIPLINGERS PERSNL FINANCE

11,667,883

11,685,892

-0.2

176.38

152.45

15.7

MONEY

50,911,112

56,426,838

-9.8

236.38

273.86

-13.7

SMARTMONEY

17,421,415

18,974,438

-8.2

179.50

206.45

-13.1

TOTALS

110,392,463

115,673,383

-4.6

1219.49

1252.24

-2.6

Source: PIB

Newsweeklies
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ECONOMIST

61,721,859

57,004,434

8.3

975.82

936.65

4.2

NEWSWEEK

59,146,293

78,138,019

-24.3

319.79

440.77

-27.4

THE WEEK

24,832,149

19,509,133

27.3

369.07

306.67

20.3

TIME

203,912,158

183,304,011

11.2

667.00

617.04

8.1

TOTALS

349,612,459

337,955,597

3.4

2331.68

2301.13

1.3

Source: PIB

Women's Service
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BETTER HOMES & GARDENS

357,752,835

400,929,004

-10.8

711.32

823.92

-13.7

FAMILY CIRCLE

186,392,881

213,742,767

-12.8

685.01

817.70

-16.2

FIRST FOR WOMEN

18,752,566

19,173,674

-2.2

262.95

275.14

-4.4

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

248,615,210

262,336,661

-5.2

673.78

748.76

-10.0

LADIES' HOME JOURNAL

101,868,083

123,686,916

-17.6

444.75

475.42

-6.5

MARTHA
STEWART LIVING

85,692,280

79,774,838

7.4

506.65

496.51

2.0

MORE

62,983,596

62,545,019

0.7

401.67

415.22

-3.3

O-THE OPRAH MAGAZINE

104,562,307

98,495,029

6.2

671.25

644.86

4.1

REAL SIMPLE

123,547,614

124,369,996

-0.7

688.03

736.76

-6.6

REDBOOK

105,989,244

101,784,135

4.1

635.76

645.27

-1.5

WOMAN'S DAY

188,835,896

197,450,328

-4.4

672.31

730.72

-8.0

WOMANS WORLD

15,589,723

15,594,299

0.0

171.40

177.95

-3.7

WOMEN'S HEALTH

51,110,980

44,736,395

14.2

294.32

272.63

8.0

WORKING MOTHER

15,497,193

16,386,869

-5.4

206.33

225.58

-8.5

TOTALS

1,667,190,408

1,761,005,930

-5.3

7025.53

7486.44

-6.2

Source: PIB

Fan Sports
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ESPN MAGAZINE

135,084,792

125,570,911

7.6

582.16

565.19

3.0

SPORTING NEWS

7,832,766

8,941,213

-12.4

138.01

156.26

-11.7

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

283,787,009

273,013,625

3.9

728.76

741.90

-1.8

TOTALS

426,704,567

407,525,749

4.7

1448.93

1463.35

-0.99

Source: PIB

Personal Sports
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BICYCLING

19,142,670

17,192,646

11.3

278.52

260.74

6.8

GOLF DIGEST

70,209,481

67,663,089

3.8

474.36

478.40

-0.8

GOLF MAGAZINE

86,363,577

76,179,590

13.4

459.83

428.40

7.3

GOLF WORLD

23,264,649

23,448,695

-0.8

590.80

618.78

-4.5

RUNNERS WORLD

41,717,126

37,494,288

11.3

315.89

304.30

3.8

SKI

4,647,610

4,667,967

-0.4

83.71

104.00

-19.5

SKIING

0

1,572,061


0.00

46.06


TENNIS

9,245,691

8,852,350

4.4

166.53

165.52

0.6

TOTALS

254,590,804

237,070,686

7.4

2369.64

2406.2

-1.5

Source: PIB

Weekend magazines
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

AMERICAN PROFILE

115,410,078

122,869,161

-6.1

242.64

276.60

-12.3

DASH

14,459,733

0

-

42.71

0.00

-

LOS ANGELES TIMES MAG

6,154,706

6,248,167

-1.5

200.52

206.57

-2.9

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

116,164,080

112,519,989

3.2

986.56

961.03

2.7

PARADE

270,634,914

316,413,145

-14.5

266.46

318.88

-16.4

RELISH

62,483,246

70,116,921

-10.9

76.42

93.06

-17.9

SPRY

26,626,006

23,804,762

11.9

58.05

60.91

-4.7

USA WEEKEND

186,861,049

212,469,085

-12.1

255.18

295.28

-13.6

TOTALS

798,793,813

864,441,230

-7.6

2,128.54

2,212.33

-3.8

Source: PIB

Men's
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

DETAILS

22,701,509

22,116,192

2.6

311.97

319.96

-2.5

ESQUIRE

52,911,774

44,507,171

18.9

410.55

364.21

12.7

GQ

74,810,568

71,063,766

5.3

484.91

500.06

-3.0

MAXIM

65,025,105

66,588,585

-2.3

239.20

255.66

-6.4

MEN'S FITNESS

28,616,509

23,527,059

21.6

371.79

322.41

15.3

MEN'S HEALTH

71,649,699

65,847,950

8.8

377.34

364.17

3.6

MEN'S JOURNAL

37,236,931

33,784,431

10.2

352.98

336.28

5.0

PLAYBOY

21,519,833

18,656,733

15.3

189.12

180.22

4.9

TOTALS

374,471,928

346,091,887

8.2

2737.86

2642.97

3.6

Source: PIB

Shelter
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST

51,889,855

47,265,873

9.8

422.95

404.40

4.6

COUNTRY LIVING

55,284,990

52,732,627

4.8

341.61

337.58

1.2

DWELL

13,363,604

12,781,236

4.6

318.27

321.75

-1.1

ELLE DECOR

43,326,903

36,553,176

18.5

524.85

474.16

10.7

THIS OLD HOUSE

24,912,242

20,282,917

22.8

259.92

219.65

18.3

TRADITIONAL HOME

36,187,776

50,429,561

-28.2

239.41

312.12

-23.3

VERANDA

15,372,717

13,319,681

15.4

243.77

218.59

11.5

TOTALS

261,857,920

252,021,804

3.9

2539.9

2468.47

2.9

Source: PIB

   

Bridal
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BRIDAL GUIDE

37,947,296

35,500,889

6.9

876.57

840.48

4.3

BRIDE'S

125,217,303

114,943,080

8.9

1,468.42

1,417.97

3.6

MARTHA WEDDINGS

28,671,871

23,770,628

20.6

717.14

615.03

16.6

TOTALS

191,836,470

174,214,597

10.1

3062.13

2873.48

6.6

Source: PIB

Epicurean
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BON APPETIT

43,112,467

41,600,303

3.6

288.85

288.97

0.0

COOKING LIGHT

64,164,938

66,650,403

-3.7

526.73

581.16

-9.4

COOKING WITH PAULA DEEN

0

4,450,621


0.00

75.06


EVERY DAY W/ RACHAEL RAY

43,243,787

50,202,325

-13.9

295.36

347.94

-15.1

EVERYDAY FOOD

11,452,063

12,027,878

-4.8

170.23

189.46

-10.1

FINE COOKING

807,054

898,486

-10.2

30.03

35.90

-16.4

FOOD & WINE

39,698,079

36,189,000

9.7

430.38

405.68

6.1

FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE

25,937,646

19,488,251

33.1

353.34

347.25

1.8

SAVEUR

10,022,814

9,813,456

2.1

216.26

219.50

-1.5

TOTALS

238,438,848

241,320,723

-1.2

2311.18

2490.92

-7.2

Source: PIB

 

Business/Finance
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK

97,983,839

76,712,497

27.7

666.63

575.46

15.8

ENTREPRENEUR

40,775,402

37,914,272

7.5

470.65

439.12

7.2

FAST COMPANY

21,260,970

17,466,557

21.7

246.68

210.68

17.1

FORBES

111,660,580

108,846,919

2.6

767.18

792.20

-3.2

FORTUNE

84,231,033

80,515,664

4.6

629.06

635.46

-1.0

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

8,802,240

7,337,635

20.0

202.64

175.17

15.7

INC.

23,082,900

22,238,837

3.8

288.15

287.22

0.3

TOTALS

387,796,964

351,032,381

10.5

3270.99

3115.31

5.0

Source: PIB

Science and Technology
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

DISCOVER

0

5,661,965

-

0.00

95.04

-

POPULAR MECHANICS

51,708,652

51,326,456

0.7

372.08

386.37

-3.7

POPULAR SCIENCE

42,251,393

33,401,453

26.5

311.56

259.28

20.2

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

8,752,195

9,462,279

-7.5

121.46

138.30

-12.2

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

1,308,990

1,488,477

-12.1

49.37

61.00

-19.1

WIRED

43,872,024

31,863,749

37.7

412.44

325.90

26.6

TOTALS

147,893,254

133,204,379

11

1266.91

1265.89

0.08

Source: PIB

Outdoor & Recreation
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BASSMASTER

7,882,611

8,854,288

-11.0

191.80

219.25

-12.5

BOATING

10,196,972

10,310,051

-1.1

247.21

258.47

-4.4

CYCLE WORLD

11,827,890

14,722,692

-19.7

302.32

290.46

4.1

FIELD & STREAM

35,842,858

26,382,699

35.9

252.84

200.31

26.2

FLYING

6,064,305

5,390,135

12.5

226.18

215.99

4.7

MOTORBOATING

10,652,051

6,420,884

65.9

291.39

171.17

70.2

OUTDOOR LIFE

16,192,541

12,165,839

33.1

194.43

158.27

22.8

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE

40,723,371

31,760,501

28.2

402.32

314.00

28.1

POWER & MOTORYACHT

15,270,543

11,891,385

28.4

527.95

412.46

28.0

SALT WATER SPORTSMAN

9,397,338

8,156,043

15.2

255.63

218.99

16.7

TOTALS

164,050,480

136,054,517

20.6

2892.07

2459.37

17.6

Source: PIB

 

African American
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

BLACK ENTERPRISE

14,833,817

14,707,208

0.9

317.21

319.04

-0.6

EBONY

15,273,116

14,373,283

6.3

235.93

233.50

1.0

ESSENCE

59,767,948

54,428,436

9.8

610.79

589.10

3.7

JET

6,001,827

6,428,551

-6.6

181.64

204.60

-11.2

TOTALS

125,784,181

123,824,509

1.6

2086.9

2114.42

-1.3

Source: PIB

 

Hispanic
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

LATINA

14,366,138

13,030,744

10.2

297.95

274.64

8.5

PEOPLE EN ESPANOL

28,647,620

19,157,772

49.5

399.69

278.20

43.7

SER PADRES

8,099,356

6,201,580

30.6

98.17

76.97

27.5

SIEMPRE MUJER

8,280,632

5,607,370

47.7

141.77

109.37

29.6

TOTALS

59,393,746

43,997,466

35

937.58

739.18

26.8

Source: PIB

Health/Fitness
First Half 2011 vs. 2010

Titles

2011 $s

2010 $s

%
chnge

'11 pages

'10 pages

%
chnge

FIT PREGNANCY

15,664,544

15,961,753

-1.9

248.35

268.13

-7.4

FITNESS

72,038,196

74,442,588

-3.2

474.48

513.51

-7.6

NATURAL HEALTH

7,244,651

7,871,522

-8.0

153.15

173.23

-11.6

ORGANIC GARDENING

3,344,542

2,895,213

15.5

128.42

119.74

7.2

PREVENTION

60,886,030

60,513,478

0.6

415.38

433.17

-4.1

SHAPE

110,252,938

105,429,859

4.6

618.62

632.00

-2.1

WEIGHT WATCHERS

20,276,098

19,068,926

6.3

269.56

262.96

2.5

TOTALS

289,706,999

286,183,339

1.2

2307.96

2402.74

-3.9

Source: PIB


***
 
 
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Bill Cromwell is a staff writer for Media Life.




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