Meredith Corporation Announces End to "Child" Magazine

Meredith Corporation has announced a reorganization that includes the elimination of 60 jobs, 30 of which will be employees of Child magazine. Child magazine has been faced with competition from other magazines marketing to their target audience, causing their circulation to drop over the past year. As the market changes, it becomes increasingly difficult to create original content for this segment of the population. It has become more comfortable for young parents to find their information on the Internet which has caused a shift in the circulation of some print publications.

The magazine industry continues to face challenges as a result of the Internet. People want to tap into information quickly, through their fingertips. This accounts for Time Inc.'s announcement that they would stop publishing Life, although the magazine's photo archive will remain available online at no cost. In the same vein, Premiere, the movie magazine, will no longer be available in print, but will continue to maintain a Web site.

Although this appears to be a trend, it is unlikely that magazines will disappear from your local bookstore. There appear to be more new magazines than ever before. Many are geared to a niche audience, but the publishing business does not appear to be in danger. Instead, it is going through a period of transition.

This is apparent in the case of Meredith Corporation. One of their latest ventures, MORE Magazine, has become increasingly successful because it is targeted at women between the ages of 40 and 65. This segment of the population is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Women in this age group grew up reading magazines, not sitting at computers, and although they may also be increasingly computer savvy, there is still an interest in buying or subscribing to a tangible publication that they can carry with them. Members of the Baby boomer generation still like to flip through the pages, view the photographs and get a variety of information specifically intended for this demographic. Until MORE Magazine hit the marketplace, Ladies Home Journal was the only major magazine geared specifically towards women's issues, and it spanned a wider age bracket. MORE celebrates women who are finding fulfillment in the aging process, as opposed to those who fear it. This is the key to their success.

Sports information is available in real time on the Web, but Sports Illustrated still seems to have an audience due to their in-depth interviews and articles. It is beyond imagination that a website will ever replace the annual swimsuit issue.

Although news is available on an up to the minute basis online, people continue to subscribe to NewsWeek, Time and U.S. News & World Report. This is especially true for those that are marketed to people over 40 years old. The Baby Boomer generation grew up reading magazines and is reluctant to give up their favorites. Online websites are no substitute for the satisfaction of retrieving the mail from the mailbox and finding your favorite magazine there, clumped in with the advertisements, requests for charitable donations and bills.

Meredith's business plan makes sense; moving the parenting and family based magazines to the Web, but continuing to publish Ladies Home Journal, Better Homes & Gardens and MORE Magazine. As with any business, following the changing demographic is essential for success.