Consumer magazine publishers are learning how to cope in an environment
racked by massive shifts in technology that have altered how people consume
media. However, in regard to its effect on newsstand sales, neither publishers
nor their key newsstand supply-chain partners, have been fully realistic in evaluating
its effect on newsstand sales.
The stultifying naiveté that surrounds the effect of these changes has never been more apparent than at the recent MPA/PBAA sponsored retail conference. In MPA President, Mary Berner’s presentation and in a roundtable discussion with four leading executives from the magazine industry—Steve Lacey (Meredith), David Carey (Hearst), Skip Zimbalist (Active Interest Media), Bob Sauerberg (Condé Nast)—there was lots of talk about promotion and marketing “solutions”, how valuable magazines are to retailers and newsstand’s relevance for publishers. The discussions, though well measured, were somewhat surreal, almost as if they involved tweaking a well-oiled machine. There was hardly a hint that the antiquated magazine newsstand channel was on the verge of collapse.
The stultifying naiveté that surrounds the effect of these changes has never been more apparent than at the recent MPA/PBAA sponsored retail conference. In MPA President, Mary Berner’s presentation and in a roundtable discussion with four leading executives from the magazine industry—Steve Lacey (Meredith), David Carey (Hearst), Skip Zimbalist (Active Interest Media), Bob Sauerberg (Condé Nast)—there was lots of talk about promotion and marketing “solutions”, how valuable magazines are to retailers and newsstand’s relevance for publishers. The discussions, though well measured, were somewhat surreal, almost as if they involved tweaking a well-oiled machine. There was hardly a hint that the antiquated magazine newsstand channel was on the verge of collapse.
