NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Newsstand sales took their sharpest dive of the recession yet in the first half of the year, the semiannual report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations revealed today. Single-copy sales, hurt not just by the economy but also a temporary disruption at magazine wholesalers, fell 12.4% from a year earlier, following year-over-year declines of 11.1% in the second half of 2008 and 6.3% in the first half of 2008.
Twenty-four of the top 25 newsstand sellers posted declines in the first half of 2009, according to the audit bureau, including top seller Cosmopolitan, down 7.8% from the first half of 2008. The lone gainer in the top 25 was Real Simple, which posted a 1.2% increase.
Total paid and verified circulation, however, slipped just 1.2% as subscriptions held their ground, gaining 0.6%, and publishers reduced their use of verified copies, which are distributed free in public places such as doctors' offices, by 3.9%.
Among big magazines (those that report paid and verified circulations over 100,000 copies), 10 of the top 25 posted top-line gains, including the biggest, AARP the Magazine, where overall paid circulation rose 2.8% to 24.6 million.
The biggest top-line gainers included Global Traveler, up 48.3% to 106,654 copies; Off-Road Adventures, up 31.1% to 108,654; Women's Health, up 29.7% to 1.5 million; Hobby Farms, up 29.7% to 126,270; and Taste of Home Healthy Cooking, up 29.4% to 759,472.
The newsstand damage had been anticipated for a first half whose chief bright spot was somber and temporary: special tributes and extra editions devoted to Michael Jackson.
Top 25 U.S. consumer magazines by total paid and verified circulation
| PUBLICATION | 6 MONTHS ENDING 6/30/09 | 6 MONTHS ENDING 6/30/08 | % CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| AARP the Magazine | 24,554,819 | 23,893,285 | 2.77% |
| AARP Bulletin | 24,305,715 | 24,248,164 | 0.24% |
| Reader's Digest | 8,158,652 | 8,445,916 | -3.40% |
| Better Homes and Gardens | 7,634,197 | 7,651,178 | -0.22% |
| National Geographic | 4,708,307 | 5,061,047 | -6.97% |
| Good Housekeeping | 4,630,397 | 4,668,818 | -0.82% |
| Woman's Day | 3,933,990 | 3,876,483 | 1.48% |
| Family Circle | 3,932,510 | 3,896,088 | 0.93% |
| Ladies' Home Journal | 3,842,791 | 3,844,222 | -0.04% |
| AAA Westways | 3,831,215 | 3,820,529 | 0.28% |
| People | 3,615,858 | 3,803,217 | -4.93% |
| Game Informer Magazine | 3,601,201 | 3,498,935 | 2.92% |
| Time | 3,372,240 | 3,389,166 | -0.50% |
| Prevention | 3,312,624 | 3,331,080 | -0.55% |
| Taste of Home | 3,302,601 | 3,198,029 | 3.27% |
| Sports Illustrated | 3,252,298 | 3,260,964 | -0.27% |
| TV Guide | 2,934,969 | 3,274,187 | -10.36% |
| Cosmopolitan | 2,907,436 | 2,937,861 | -1.04% |
| Southern Living | 2,840,241 | 2,802,444 | 1.35% |
| AAA Via | 2,783,833 | 2,824,461 | -1.44% |
| Newsweek | 2,646,613 | 2,737,450 | -3.32% |
| Maxim | 2,537,130 | 2,535,884 | 0.05% |
| AAA Going Places | 2,521,974 | 2,547,092 | -0.99% |
| AAA Living | 2,458,902 | 2,445,146 | 0.56% |
| Playboy | 2,453,266 | 2,700,653 | -9.16% |
COMMENTARY: It is a real surprise that TV Guide's newstand sales dropped by 10.36% over the first six months of 2009 compared to the same period 2008. Also, Playboy's newstand sales dropped by 9.16%. During this period of nostalgia in both TV programs and fashion, you would think Playboy newstand sales would not take such a huge hit. I can remember when Playboy had 7 million subscribers. Wow, that's a huge drop.
Courtesy of an article dated August 31, 2009 appearing in Advertising Age
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