Hearst Magazines CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine
maintains that the circ trends in reporting by the U.K.’s Audit Bureau of
Circulations (separate entity from North America’s AAM) “are missing all the
points about the reality of what’s happening in the industry. I’d rather have
an ABC decrease because we are publishing at capacity of selling good
magazines, with a solid type of readership, rather than [increased circulations
due to] bulk or pricing push.” The “doom and gloom” over declining circulations
is misplaced, he said. He added that magazines are “the only medium in which
advertising is not intrusive. A magazine without advertising is extremely
boring. I like to evangelise the market. It’s much more exciting to work with
us today than it was five years ago.” Hearst has been undergoing a “very
Darwinian type of experience” in transforming itself to become a multiplatform
business, De Puyfontaine said.
