Friday, January 09, 2009

I SWEAR I didn't do it!

On November 20, 2008, I wrote the following as part of a series of rants on how all the magazines I like tend to go out of business:
Well, here's a warning to Country Home.
I love you and I will try my hardest not to get a subscription to you, but you are about the only one left out there.
So please take care of yourself, ok?
I swear I didn't get that subscription! But I think I must have some kind of power because I read on This Young House that Country Home has just been CANCELED!

(1984-2009)

In the New York Times story announcing the cancellation it states that the magazine with a circulation of almost 1.3 million had 25% fewer ad pages last year than in 2007. In addition, the magazine, in a way to keep circulation high started to charge subscribers less. According to the article: "In the first half of 2008, the most recent figures available, single-copy sales, usually at the full $4.95 cover price, were just 71,000, and subscribers paid an average of $1.05 an issue. Six years ago, Country Home had single-copy sales well over 200,000, and the average subscription price was $1.51 an issue". So, from this day forward, I will try to refrain from fawning* over any magazines on this blog, no matter how well ($$$) they seem to be doing or how long they have been in business. Because as Uncle Ben used to say to Peter Parker, "...with great power comes great responsibility". *See, it would be impossible to never mention them.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's downright sad, and a bit scary. I'd noticed that CH was shrinking a bit, but I figured it was well-established and not going away any time soon. If they can't make it, who can??

Anonymous said...

It really is sad to see the "trickle down" effect of the current economy.

Marcy said...

This trend is really distressing, but I almost fainted when I thought it said "Country Living"--I think I would climb a tree and not come down if that magazine ever departed. Then again, I felt that way about "Cottage Living"...still mourning that loss.