U.S. mags see 4% decline in ad pages in Q1

The total number of magazine advertising pages tallied in the U.S. market declined by 4% in the first quarter of 2013, from 29,745 down to 28,567. The Publishers Information Bureau, which counts ad pages in 181 titles found that 60% of them declined in the quarter, year-over-year. MediaDailyNews reported that two categories -- tech and retail -- were responsible for 63% of the overall page losses. (Many magazine publishers reported strong results in digital advertising on tablets.)

Women’s domestic and homemaking titles took some of the biggest hits, with Martha Stewart Living down 34.8% to 109 ad pages; Country Living down 29.2% to 63; Family Circle down 28.2% to 160; Better Homes and Gardens down 23.4% to 191; Ladies’ Home Journal down 22% to 87; and Good Housekeeping down 18.1% to 212.

The list of big titles that experienced significant declines also included Rolling Stone, down 27.1% to 139; Maxim, down 25.3% to 40 ad pages; Men’s Fitness, down 24.4% to 144; People Style Watch, down 22.3% to 193; Lucky, down 19.9% to 141; Motor Trend, down 19% to 132; Entertainment Weekly, down 16.7% to 214; and Food Network Magazine, down 15.7% to 138.