Challenging times lie ahead for
magazines. The Audit Bureau of Circulations figures published last month made
grim reading.
But these figures are only a
partial reflection of what is really going on. The industry trade body, the Professional
Publishers Association, released its first combined digital and
print circulation chart alongside the traditional ABC figures and its CEO Barry
McIlheney says that for many titles, such as Conde Nast's GQ and Future's technology
magazine, T3, a combined figures is a truer reflection of how the industry is
faring.Indeed, some sectors are doing quite nicely and all magazines are built around the twin pillars that have always eluded newspapers – passion and community. The most successful ones are returning to their roots.
