Quote, unquote: too much magazine inventory, not enough buyers

“Most publishers have the same problems as car dealers or home builders—that is, they have too much inventory and not enough buyers. There are too many magazines, too many web sites and too many conferences—and not enough advertising or marketing spending to support them. So just as stores close and auto dealerships disappear, media properties get shut down. It’s not really about costs or expectations, it’s about revenue, or lack thereof.”

-- Hanley Wood CEO Frank Anton, quoted in a Folio: column by Jason Fell asking why successful magazines are being shut down, despite growth in circulation and ad pages.