Directory analysis says U.S. saw a net loss of 92 magazines in first half of 2009

A posting today by MediaDaily News reports that there was a net loss of 92 magazine titles in Canada and the U.S. (279 closures versus 187 new titles) during the first 6 months of 2009. This, according to a search of the online database MediaFinder.com, owned by directory company Oxbridge Communications, publishers of the Standard Periodical Directory.

This information must be viewed with a certain amount of scepticism, since the Oxbridge database tracks very few Canadian titles (and therefore is not a good indicator of conditions in this country) and not all American titles. There is a consistent divergence between this data and other sources such as Mr. Magazine. Nevertheless, it is one of the indicators of the tough time that magazines are going through, at least in the U.S.A.

The post today says one of the worst attrition rates was among regional titles, including Denver Living, Florida Inside Out, Ocean Drive en Espanol and Forbes Mountain Time, a short-lived Forbes spinoff targeting executives at Western ski resorts. Also hard-hit were titles in the lifestyle, b2b and business categories. An example of the latter was Conde Nast's ambitious Portfolio.

But the damage has been widespread, with magazines closing in virtually every category. Among the bigger losses, 2009 has also seen the closing of Country Home, Wondertime, Teen, Domino, Figure, Craft, Hallmark Magazine, Travel & Leisure Golf, Best Life, Tennisweek, Genre, Blender, Portfolio, Television Week, Trump, PR Week, Radio and Records, Nickelodeon and Vibe.