2012 – The year in magazines
In this roundup from the Encore and Mumbrella Annual, we look back at the year in magazines.
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A decline in ad revenue for The Australian Financial Review Group leads to the closure of its technology publication MIS Magazine. Rumours surface the publisher will also close financial title CFO Magazine, which CEO Brett Clegg denies.
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The Standard Media Index reports magazines have seen an 8.2 per cent decline in advertising spend for 2011, the largest of all media.
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Sandra Hook, CEO of News Limited’s magazine arm NewsLifeMedia, departs. The news comes just months after she led the company rebrand.
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In February, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reports that ACP Magazine’s mens’ title FHM has reduced its circulation by 50 per cent compared to the same period in 2011. The fall is one of the biggest circulation drops in Australian magazine history. In March, the title closes. ACP also offloads two of its sporting titles, Snowboarding and Inside Cricket to Nextmedia.
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It is reported that Pacific Magazines is considering purchasing ACP Magazines with preliminary discussions believed to be underway.
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ACP’s plans to launch fashion magazine Elle are put in question. The publisher is due to unveil the title in autumn but at the year’s end, it is yet to surface.
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Public broadcaster the ABC launches a football magazine, ABC Football, ahead of the 2012 AFL Season. The magazine will be published annually by News Custom Publishing.
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Publisher Wild Bunch Media launches a new exercise magazine, Women’s Running.
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March sees a round of appointments – the Lifestyle Channel’s Nicole Sheffield to the role of CEO of NewsLifeMedia; in the ACP camp Rachel Sharp steps up as editor of the soon-to-be launched Women’s Fitness; and at Pacific Magazines, Jacqui Moony becomes editor of health and lifestyle mag Prevention.
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May brings more bad news for ACP with mens’ mag Zoo Weekly falling 29.1 per cent in the latest round of circulation figures.
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NewsLifeMedia CEO Nicole Sheffield begins her editorial cull and announces the departure of Vogue editor-in-chief Kirstie Clements. She is replaced by Edwina McCann, editor of rival title Harper’s Bazaar. Lifestyle group editor Mark Kelly and editor of home and lifestyle title InsideOut, Richard Walker, also depart.
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ACP launches The Block magazine in an attempt to cash in on the success of the ongoing Nine reality series.
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In July, PacMags launches its first iPad app for male lifestyle title Men’s Health.
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The August release of figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation show Cleo and Cosmo have suffered a significant drop in sales with Cleo down more than 17 per cent and Cosmo 16 per cent. NewsLifeMedia’s MasterChef magazine drops 36.67 per cent. The magazine ceases printing in November.
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At the end of August, it is announced that ACP will be bought by German publisher Bauer. In September the sale is confirmed and Bauer picks up the magazine company for a reported $500m. It will rebrand as Bauer Media.
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Louise Barrett, ACP’s director of sales, announces her departure. She will take on the role of national sales director at the Ten network in January.
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The publisher formerly known as ACP launches Women’s Fitness magazine backed by a $2m launch campaign.
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Former Freeview head Robin Parkes is appointed executive director of Magazine Publishers Australia while Pacific Magazines boss Nick Chan hands the chairmanship to Matt Stanton.
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Current affairs magazine The Week, from British publisher Dennis Publishing, closes its Australian edition. Dynamic Business, published by Loyalty Media, closes after more than two decades.
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- This list first appeared in the Encore and Mumbrella Annual available in the App store and Google Play.
