The January/February 2009 edition of !_LT_EMYour Child!_LT_/EM, published by Media24’s parenting division, Alchemy Publishing, will be its last.
Terena le Roux, publisher for the Alchemy titles, says it’s a difficult time for all magazines, “especially niche titles. Your Child was in a very difficult position as a parenting magazine. When we launched the title in the booming market three years ago, Your Child filled a gap in the market. We never intended it to have a huge circulation; we were hoping to secure a circulation of between 20,000 and 25,000.”
align=justifyThe latest circulation figures, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), is 17,468 (January to June 2008).
align=justifyThere are three people working on the title, says Roux. “We are currently negotiating and we are trying to find them a place in the company.”
align=justifyIn the past year Media24 has closed a number of magazines including InStyle, href=”/themedia/view/themedia/en/page257?oid=3153&sn=Detail” target=_blank mce_href=”/themedia/view/themedia/en/page257?oid=3153&sn=Detail”ZOO Weekly/Weekliks, href=”/themedia/view/themedia/en/page257?oid=3334&sn=display” target=_blank mce_href=”/themedia/view/themedia/en/page257?oid=3334&sn=display”TRUE LOVE babe and href=”/themedia/view/themedia/en/page257?oid=12795&sn=Detail” target=_blank mce_href=”/themedia/view/themedia/en/page257?oid=12795&sn=Detail”Blunt.
align=justify”I don’t think we’ve seen the last of magazine closures. There are still more tough times to come. There is not enough adspend to go around and circulation spend doesn’t go far enough. Magazines have become a luxury item,” says le Roux.
