ACP closes NetGuide, shows editorial director the door and promotes Veness-McGourty
Magazine publisher ACP has swung the axe again, this time closing the 11-year-old NetGuide magazine, which was Australia’s only magazine dedicated to the internet.
NetGuide’s last issue will go on sale next month. For the September issue it will instead be incorporated into PC User. The closure of the mag, which was aimed at non-technical web users, will result in two redundancies.
The title was launched in 1998 by Industrial Press and acquired by ACP in 2003.
Phil Scott, ACP’s director for men’s specialist and custom publishing, cited lack of support from supermarket chains as one factor in the decision. He said: “With internet usage ubiquitous and the older audience growing ever more web savvy, the need for guidance has diminished. With recent, progressive loss of ranging in supermarkets, the economics no longer justify a free standing magazine.”
NetGuide’s audited circulation fell from a peak of 43,600 in 2004 to its current 16,047.
The announcement comes just a week after it was revealed that ACP is closing women’s title Slimming & Health. And yesterday it emerged that ACP veteran Pat Ingram – described by some as the most powerful woman in Australian publishing – was leaving.
Today ACP said that Alison Veness-McGourty, currently editor-in-chief of Grazia, was being promoted to the additional role of editorial director of Harper’s Bazaar.
She said: “It is a very exciting challenge to work across both weekly and monthly markets. It’s a tough market and the pressure is on to offer a compelling and exciting mix that resonates with the readers.”
Meanwhile, it was reported this afternoon that as part of that process, editorial director Louisa Hatfield has been made redundant.
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That’s a shame – I wrote an article for Netguide back in 2000
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Hah, everytime another magazine closes its another competitor down and more marketing dollars for the taking.
Although Netguide doesnt have much in common with Whingeing Pom…
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It was a crappy mag that didn’t tell you anything you couldn’t find online yourself. Good riddance.
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Net magazines have always an oxymoron.
I’d recommend one change though to the post “which was Australia’s only magazine dedicated to the internet. ” to “which was Australia’s last remaining magazine dedicated to the internet” 🙂 There’s been a few others over the years, internet.au the only one I can specifically remember.
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Hehe Duncan beat me to it. RIP Internet AU!
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Who has been swinging the axe in the womens group. Lynette Phillipps is the head of it all – but she is pregnant, so who will be left to take over? Pat Ingram gone yesterday, Louise Hatfield gone today.
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You’re all forgetting NETT Magazine
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Forgetting it because it was pants-wettingly bad…
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NetGuide still sails against the wind in NZ, was recently sold by ACP NZ to a private publisher.
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The NZ Version is a seperate beast entirely and under the new owner is going strong.
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You guys should all subscribe to NZ NetGuide as it was the first anyway and is way cool now with Game Console and ConnectMe sections http://www.actionsubs.co.nz/
Regards James
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What about “Australia’s Internet Guide” by Gareth Powell? I am the only person ever to be fired by him on Christmas Day.
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Poor old Tiny Tim. Did Scrooge buy you a turkey?
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I agree with Sean, the NZ version is a different beast in a very different market…and I’m sure he’ll do great things with it. As for the AU version, the closure was only about 2 years too late.
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