FOLIO: Personalities -- The Blog People Page

This week, WWD online reported that the Wall Street Journal’s glossy “WSJ.” saw its number of ad pages slip to 27 (out of 92 total pages) for its national March issue.

This fashion-themed issue, featuring an interview with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton chief Bernard Arnault, dropped almost 50 percent compared to September’s premiere, which had 51 ad pages (out of 104 total).

Until now, “WSJ.” has made a conscious effort to stay away from fashion in favor of news, lifestyle and glossy pho More...

With over 50 American magazines having already folded this year, and organizations like the Magazine Publishers of America and American Business Media canceling conferences and events, it’s worth taking a look at how the rest of the world’s magazine publishers are doing.

In a recent release from the International Federation of Periodical Press (FIPP), the organization reported “business as usual” for its planned events, with its flagship World Magazine Congress slated for London in early May. Current sign-ups are at 500 and growing, according to an event More...

Bauer and Wenner Media titles are seeing high newsstand sales from an unlikely cover personality.

Nadya Suleman—the tabloid-sensation mom of octuplets (along with six other children)—is helping celebrity newsweeklies get back on their feet—even if only for one issue.

Celebrity titles took a beating during the second half last year—Bauer and Wenner’s in particular. Bauer’s In Touch dropped 32 percent in single copy sales, Life & Style down 31.3 percent and Wenner’s Us Weekly 20.7 percent.
 
But MSNBC.com More...

With positive newsstand stories few and far between during the second half of 2008, Rodale said yesterday that Runner’s World delivered double-digit newsstand growth with its January 2009 issue.

This issue saw an increase of 13.3 percent in single copy sales versus January of last year, the company said.

“In difficult economic times, people turn to exercise, and more specifically running, as an outlet to manage stress and uncertainty,” group VP Chris Lambiase explained in a release.

This could also be the cyclical, post-New Year’s resolution-effect, when people renew their vows to “get fit” and joi More...

Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that two editors recently laid off from Condé Nast Portfolio are launching a recession-themed Web site, Recessionwire.com.

Laura Rich and Sara Clemence, Portfolio.com's former assistant managing and lifestyle editors, respectively, teamed up with Lynn Parramore, an author and academic, to create a “user’s guide to the recession.”

While the site’s concept may be unique, the idea of former editors going it alone online is not. Late last year, former Elle More...

According to online database Mediafinder, 47 magazine titles have folded so far in 2009. Here, the full list (likely to change at any minute):

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Ascent Magazine
• Asian Week
• Bank Advisor Magazine
• Book World
• Chiropractic Products
• Cigar Report Magazine
• Comic Foundry
• Corporate Leader
• Country Home
• Criticas
• Dealmaker
• Digital Graphics
• Domino
• Electrical Contracting Products
• Florida Designers Review
• ForbesLife Mountain Time
• Furniture Style
• The Good Life
• Green Business
• IndyCar Series
• Ignite Your Faith
• Metal Edge
• Metal Maniacs
• Ne More...

Today, Ladies’ Home Journal announced a “dramatic” redesign (isn’t it funny how all magazine redesigns are called “dramatic”?) and, in a somewhat unusual move, said the magazine will have a “bold new voice” and editorial philosophy.

Ladies Home Journal will now be “modern, clean, approachable and uplifting,” says new editor Sally Lee. (A statement like that makes you wonder what, exactly, the magazine was before—“medieval, dirty, unapproachable and depressing”?)

It’s the second redesign in roughly a year for LHJ, the last one coming under former editor Diane Salvatore in 2008.

More...

In what amounts to a risky move in the hip-hop industry, L. Londell McMillan, the co-publisher of the Source, told the New York Times recently that the magazine will no longer accept booty ads.

The ads, predominately for pornographic films, Web sites or escort services, will disappear, despite the fact that they are a mainstay for the publication—more than half the ads in the magazine at times, McMillan said.

While the publisher recognizes the risk of cutting any advertisers loose at a time when ad sales are hemorrhaging, McMil More...

While purchasing a pair of Louboutins seems like a faraway dream for readers of fashion and luxury living magazines, these glossies are put in a tough position.

Already faced with huge ad hit at newsstands, companies like Time, Hachette and Hearst must tweak their editorial message from “fashionista” to “every once-fashionista is now a recessionista”—without straying too far from the prestige, placement and context that (remaining) advertisers require.

Salon.com’s Rebecca Traister looked at how glossies are scrambling to downplay the luxury-living message prevalent in years past. Judging from their January to Febr More...

In Vibe’s February issue, writer Sean Fennessey writes about how to “save” the Grammy Awards, a show he says omits key categories ("Best Ringtone," "Best Hook," "Best Hook Artist," among others) and doles out awards to artists not on the top of most true hip-hop lovers' lists.

Piggybacking on this concept, the magazine has planned the first annual Vammy Awards during this year’s Grammys season.

While in, uh, headier economic times Vibe might’ve considered making the Vammys a full-blown live music event (music, celebrities and awards are generally a winning formula for a s More...

At a Time Inc. digital showcase in December, EVP John Squires said that the company achieved “significant” growth online. Here are some numbers just released by Time Inc. that appear to back up his claim:

Time.com had roughly 30 million page views in mid-December, after Barack Obama was announced Time’s 2008 Person of the Year. (More than 1.2 million votes were cast in the online poll deciding the winner.)

People.com reported 46 percent year-over-year growth (compared with the industry average of about 10 percent), including an average of 8.6 million monthly uniques, a 36 perc More...

Late last year, Nielsen Business Media announced an editorial reorganization of its Adweek Media Group that combined content development and distribution for Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek magazines under one editorial organization (and, of course, included a number of layoffs).

Now Brandweek is launching a new blog, BrandFreak, based on Adweek’s popular AdFreak and edited by AdFreak’s editor, Tim Nudd. (It will feature contributions from Brandweek writers.)

That a company would launch a spin-off of any editorial product now is notable, considering how many have scaled back their brand extensions (Outside’s Go, O at H More...