Teen Vogue going digital-only
November 2, 2017 1:06 PM Subscribe
Condé Nast is shutting down Teen Vogue's print version, laying off 80 people, and reducing frequency on other print publications. No explanations beyond the usual "reduce expenses; remove low performers" business babble. The Mary Sue has some things to say about the shutdown.
Ending the print edition of a magazine like this is kinda like saying: Sure, political activism and the empowerment of teen girls are important…as long as we’re not encouraging the “unwashed masses” too much.(Dammit. I just subscribed a couple of months ago.)
Many of their titles, which have much more than four issues out a year, are for affluent readers. And yet, rather than cut those options, they’re cutting the options of an underserved readership.
The move to becoming digital-only means people lose jobs, writers are disrespected, and those who are employed get royally screwed over. Meaning that Teen Vogue, this publication that’s become a voice of reason in the darkness, supporting progressive causes and educating an underserved demographic about topics that matter isn’t practicing what it preaches. It’s marketing equality and a progressive agenda while underpaying/not paying primarily female freelance writers of color.
I am as sad about this as anyone who was aware of the turn Teen Vogue had taken, but is anyone really surprised that Condé Nast's priorities don't lie with the unwashed masses? It's Condé Nast, for god's sake. That's about a quarter step less funny than suggesting that Hermès is failing to take its responsibilities to clothe the hoi polloi seriously.
The surprising thing is that Teen Vogue was allowed to get as woke as it did for as long as it did. But you can't sell luxury brands advertising next to stories about sexual assault or Black Lives Matter and you certainly can't sell them an audience of women and girls too poor to own cell phones. Nothing about the new Teen Vogue made sense with CN's business model.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:23 PM on November 2, 2017 [24 favorites]
The surprising thing is that Teen Vogue was allowed to get as woke as it did for as long as it did. But you can't sell luxury brands advertising next to stories about sexual assault or Black Lives Matter and you certainly can't sell them an audience of women and girls too poor to own cell phones. Nothing about the new Teen Vogue made sense with CN's business model.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:23 PM on November 2, 2017 [24 favorites]
what the fucking fuck
Teen Vogue is one of the reasons I started getting magazines again.
It doesn't even come out monthly, and I was okay with that!
posted by redsparkler at 1:27 PM on November 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
Teen Vogue is one of the reasons I started getting magazines again.
It doesn't even come out monthly, and I was okay with that!
posted by redsparkler at 1:27 PM on November 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
Staff should quit, form a cooperative, and come back in the form of an ad-free Sassy.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:37 PM on November 2, 2017 [43 favorites]
posted by Sys Rq at 1:37 PM on November 2, 2017 [43 favorites]
Staff should quit, form a cooperative, and come back in the form of an ad-free Sassy.
Unfortunately, Russell Clark is no longer available, but Christian Slater, Mark Wahlberg, and Rick Schroder are available to let you know just what makes them SO SASSY.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 1:42 PM on November 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
Unfortunately, Russell Clark is no longer available, but Christian Slater, Mark Wahlberg, and Rick Schroder are available to let you know just what makes them SO SASSY.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 1:42 PM on November 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
Teen Vogue really has felt like the last bastion of quality American journalism (once Rolling Stone stepped in it). I'll be sorry to see then lose print.
posted by cjorgensen at 1:43 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by cjorgensen at 1:43 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah this is kind of bullshit. I've really enjoyed their articles lately, they've hit the blue a number of times and we've had some good discussions. Such a wrong move and the readers and the industry suffer further because of it.
posted by Fizz at 1:43 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 1:43 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Worth noting that I heard a podcast conversation that mentioned that the daring feminist and political coverage from Teen Vogue was online only, not in the print version.
posted by vunder at 1:52 PM on November 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by vunder at 1:52 PM on November 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
The print magazine didn't skew quite as focused as the online articles, but it was by no means lacking in feminist or political content.
posted by redsparkler at 2:04 PM on November 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by redsparkler at 2:04 PM on November 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
Teens don't read print. Am I missing something here?
posted by Melismata at 2:05 PM on November 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 2:05 PM on November 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
BREAKING DNAinfoNY, Gothamist closed after vote to unionize, Gothamist archives zapped.
posted by The Whelk at 2:14 PM on November 2, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 2:14 PM on November 2, 2017 [13 favorites]
Teen Vogue is unabashedly progressive. I was pleasantly shocked by how political it is earlier this year while reading an issue of it that somehow was sent to my mailbox. Teen magazines I devoured back in 1995 were notoriously apolitical and lily white.
.
eta: wow, I have friends at DNAInfo. Time to reach out.
posted by Donald Trump Sex Nightmare at 2:19 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
.
eta: wow, I have friends at DNAInfo. Time to reach out.
posted by Donald Trump Sex Nightmare at 2:19 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Teens don't read print. Am I missing something here?
Guess what magazine my daughter subscribed to by herself, with her own job savings.
posted by GuyZero at 2:20 PM on November 2, 2017 [42 favorites]
Guess what magazine my daughter subscribed to by herself, with her own job savings.
posted by GuyZero at 2:20 PM on November 2, 2017 [42 favorites]
It's worth noting that Conde Nast also publishes The New Yorker, which has provided some excellent, 'woke' and FPP-worthy content lately. (And it still publishes weekly) Maybe its editors could provide room and a voice to TeenVogue's writers? How about a YoungYorker subsite??
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:21 PM on November 2, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:21 PM on November 2, 2017 [8 favorites]
Also, Joe Ricketts just a few minutes ago deleted the Gothamist/DCist/etc. sites after their reporters unionized. They were seemingly given no notice that this was coming.
posted by Navelgazer at 2:26 PM on November 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Navelgazer at 2:26 PM on November 2, 2017 [5 favorites]
Quality journalism is too important to be left to the open market or the whims of billionaires.
posted by The Whelk at 2:29 PM on November 2, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 2:29 PM on November 2, 2017 [18 favorites]
Also, Joe Ricketts just a few minutes ago deleted the Gothamist/DCist/etc. sites after their reporters unionized. They were seemingly given no notice that this was coming.
Fortunately it looks like wayback machine has at least some stuff up to Oct 26th.
posted by juv3nal at 2:29 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Fortunately it looks like wayback machine has at least some stuff up to Oct 26th.
posted by juv3nal at 2:29 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
After reading so much about Teen Vogue here I was going to get a subscription for my niece. I still will if a digital subscription offers more access but what a loss.
posted by biggreenplant at 2:30 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by biggreenplant at 2:30 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Christian Slater, Mark Wahlberg, and Rick Schroder
Schroder seems to have grown up okay-ish, but the staff of Teen Vogue would have a fucking field day with the other two.
posted by maxsparber at 2:30 PM on November 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
Schroder seems to have grown up okay-ish, but the staff of Teen Vogue would have a fucking field day with the other two.
posted by maxsparber at 2:30 PM on November 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
Can we stick to discussing Teen Vogue and the impact on girls here? Closing of other quality journalism sites is vital yes but can be a separate post.
posted by biggreenplant at 2:32 PM on November 2, 2017
posted by biggreenplant at 2:32 PM on November 2, 2017
i can't decide if this is a derail or a valid parallel discussion but holy shit i am furious about gothamist and the rest of the ist-verse.
posted by poffin boffin at 2:32 PM on November 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 2:32 PM on November 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
i have to wonder if there was some talk of unionization happening among teen vogue's staff
posted by vogon_poet at 2:44 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by vogon_poet at 2:44 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have to wonder if they pissed off someone with pull
by, you know, existing out loud
posted by clew at 2:49 PM on November 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
by, you know, existing out loud
posted by clew at 2:49 PM on November 2, 2017 [7 favorites]
I renewed my niece’s subscription a month ago - wtf. Is there anything (UK or US) that could be a good alternative? She’s not digital yet, so the online version’s not really an option. (Also: do places like CN refund subscriptions?)
posted by progosk at 3:01 PM on November 2, 2017
posted by progosk at 3:01 PM on November 2, 2017
Teens don't read print. Am I missing something here?
Yeah, the Mary Sue article is kind of ridiculous. "Condé Nast is cutting costs to make more money!" And they're doing it by slashing products that don't cater to a wealthy demographic and also fucking over their staff! Stop the presses!
Guess what magazine my daughter subscribed to by herself, with her own job savings.
Good for your daughter, but probably not enough like her were doing that. And the rich people CN's other magazines are targeted at don't need to save up to buy them or the expensive brands and lifestyles they promote.
posted by Sangermaine at 3:09 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah, the Mary Sue article is kind of ridiculous. "Condé Nast is cutting costs to make more money!" And they're doing it by slashing products that don't cater to a wealthy demographic and also fucking over their staff! Stop the presses!
Many of their titles, which have much more than four issues out a year, are for affluent readers. And yet, rather than cut those options, they’re cutting the options of an underserved readership.They're not cutting those other magazines because they likely make money due to their readership, while Teen Vogue, even at four issues a year, likely doesn't, or not enough to be worth the trouble.
Guess what magazine my daughter subscribed to by herself, with her own job savings.
Good for your daughter, but probably not enough like her were doing that. And the rich people CN's other magazines are targeted at don't need to save up to buy them or the expensive brands and lifestyles they promote.
posted by Sangermaine at 3:09 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
.
posted by limeonaire at 3:13 PM on November 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by limeonaire at 3:13 PM on November 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
(Also: do places like CN refund subscriptions?)
I'll have to check my account, which I can't do now, but I wouldn't be surprised if the shutdown means "there's one more year of issues, and no new subscriptions will be taken."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 3:13 PM on November 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'll have to check my account, which I can't do now, but I wouldn't be surprised if the shutdown means "there's one more year of issues, and no new subscriptions will be taken."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 3:13 PM on November 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yeah, sad but true, the issue is what advertisers are will to pay for and I guess Teen Vogue wasn't it. I can only assume these magazine are run financially rationally.
posted by GuyZero at 3:14 PM on November 2, 2017
posted by GuyZero at 3:14 PM on November 2, 2017
Is there anything (UK or US) that could be a good alternative?
Besides Teen Vogue, the other teen magazine my library subscribes to is Shameless. I'm a big fan.
posted by box at 3:16 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Besides Teen Vogue, the other teen magazine my library subscribes to is Shameless. I'm a big fan.
posted by box at 3:16 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
do places like CN refund subscriptions?
They'll cut you a check for the remainder usually or give you the equivalent in other subscriptions. We recently had to cancel a bunch of my mom's subscriptions (RIP) and it was really interesting how a lot of the magazines that deal with older people (Reader's Digest, TV Guide, AARP) had whole completely appropriate and kind sorry-for-your-loss processes for this while a lot of other ones were just a wrestling match to get them to do anything.
posted by jessamyn at 3:17 PM on November 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
They'll cut you a check for the remainder usually or give you the equivalent in other subscriptions. We recently had to cancel a bunch of my mom's subscriptions (RIP) and it was really interesting how a lot of the magazines that deal with older people (Reader's Digest, TV Guide, AARP) had whole completely appropriate and kind sorry-for-your-loss processes for this while a lot of other ones were just a wrestling match to get them to do anything.
posted by jessamyn at 3:17 PM on November 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'll have to check my account, which I can't do now, but I wouldn't be surprised if the shutdown means "there's one more year of issues, and no new subscriptions will be taken."
they're still currently taking new subscribers (for $10/year plus a 'free messenger bag!') but it's a digital-only subscription. i assume current subscribers will just be switched to digital-only.
posted by halation at 3:23 PM on November 2, 2017
they're still currently taking new subscribers (for $10/year plus a 'free messenger bag!') but it's a digital-only subscription. i assume current subscribers will just be switched to digital-only.
posted by halation at 3:23 PM on November 2, 2017
Goddamn, this has been a sad day for content creators.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 3:31 PM on November 2, 2017
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 3:31 PM on November 2, 2017
Teen Vogue is a very much a fashion publication, and if you don't follow fashion as a cultural bellwether, you might not know that as an art form it's deep in crisis. Instead of changing it for the better, online media has a way of revealing fashion as the ugly sum of its constituent parts, a collection of status signifiers which become more politicised with every passing season. The message here is that the Culture Wars are upon us and CN are ready and willing to throw Teen Vogue under the bus while they spin off in the chartered stretch limousine.
Last month, Teen Vogue were all the rage. They achieved a great deal in very a short time, and in an environment not known for its radical agenda. The signs were all there that it couldn't last.
I could rant all night. I hope Teen Vogue can survive in its online ghetto and I want them to keep on doing what they do in the name of everything cool, but I need to quote Frowner now.
As to fashion, I think it's dead. The whole thing - it's shambling around like a decaying zombie, but still dead. We don't live in a world where cultural gestures do much except to the degree that they are also explicitly political gestures - everything else is just churned up by the corporate/rightist machine. Maybe we'll have fashion again after the revolution.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 3:37 PM on November 2, 2017 [22 favorites]
Last month, Teen Vogue were all the rage. They achieved a great deal in very a short time, and in an environment not known for its radical agenda. The signs were all there that it couldn't last.
Other early sources of controversy included an essay about Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man who died in police custody, and, later, an article about former US president Ronald Reagan’s lack of response to the AIDS epidemic, which hit the internet just after Nancy Reagan’s death. “Internally the reaction was like, ‘Oh boy’... Am I going to hear from Anna about that one?” remembers Picardi.The turnaround has been significant in raising TV's cultural capital, but Picardi's idea that they could go against the elite messaging at the heart of the Vogue brand and get away with it was, to put it mildly, youthfully optimistic. The closure of the print publication makes even more sense in the context of Lucinda Chambers' departure from Vogue's British edition (which helpfully relieved me of the need of ever having to buy it ever again in my life ever) followed by the resigned awareness among journalists that meaningful fashion criticism is impossible at the moment.
“We pissed off a lot of people,” he admits. “That Freddie Gray piece was not one of our top ten pieces.” But he believed the title was cultivating a valuable audience. “Building for desired audiences is a huge thing that a lot of digital media isn’t doing right now,” says Picardi. “They’re catering to the lowest common denominator. And you can find a way to do content that appeals to a mass audience and content that will specifically and specially engage a very desirable audience. You can absolutely be both.”
I could rant all night. I hope Teen Vogue can survive in its online ghetto and I want them to keep on doing what they do in the name of everything cool, but I need to quote Frowner now.
As to fashion, I think it's dead. The whole thing - it's shambling around like a decaying zombie, but still dead. We don't live in a world where cultural gestures do much except to the degree that they are also explicitly political gestures - everything else is just churned up by the corporate/rightist machine. Maybe we'll have fashion again after the revolution.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 3:37 PM on November 2, 2017 [22 favorites]
Christian Slater, Mark Wahlberg, and Rick Schroder
Schroder seems to have grown up okay-ish, but the staff of Teen Vogue would have a fucking field day with the other two.
Wait, did I miss a memo about Christian Slater ?
posted by Pendragon at 4:09 PM on November 2, 2017
Schroder seems to have grown up okay-ish, but the staff of Teen Vogue would have a fucking field day with the other two.
Wait, did I miss a memo about Christian Slater ?
posted by Pendragon at 4:09 PM on November 2, 2017
Give your teen girls subscriptions to Bitch. I wish it had been around when I was 15.
posted by brujita at 4:19 PM on November 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by brujita at 4:19 PM on November 2, 2017 [9 favorites]
Goddamn, this has been a sad day for honest, non-evil content creators.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:32 PM on November 2, 2017
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:32 PM on November 2, 2017
I wonder if it's down to Conde Nast not wanting to upset a notoriously vindictive POTUS.
posted by acb at 5:36 PM on November 2, 2017
posted by acb at 5:36 PM on November 2, 2017
Conde Nast also published a front page photo of Melania Trump "eating" jewellery in one of the biggest let them eat cake fuck yous ever, so they're not all good.
posted by Yowser at 5:38 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 5:38 PM on November 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Staff should quit, form a cooperative, and come back in the form of an ad-free Sassy.
One of them is my college roommate, and I am pretty sure that he's the antithesis of "sassy."
Perky, maybe, albeit perky in seersucker.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:52 PM on November 2, 2017
One of them is my college roommate, and I am pretty sure that he's the antithesis of "sassy."
Perky, maybe, albeit perky in seersucker.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:52 PM on November 2, 2017
Melismata: "Teens don't read print. Am I missing something here?"
Sangermaine: "They're not cutting those other magazines because they likely make money due to their readership, while Teen Vogue, even at four issues a year, likely doesn't, or not enough to be worth the trouble."
I wonder if this doesn't also display a lack of long term thinking. Get teens in the habit of reading some magazines and maybe they'll continue to buy magazines when they get older. It's like my mom liking chicken feet soup because she had it often as a kid.
posted by Mitheral at 8:58 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Sangermaine: "They're not cutting those other magazines because they likely make money due to their readership, while Teen Vogue, even at four issues a year, likely doesn't, or not enough to be worth the trouble."
I wonder if this doesn't also display a lack of long term thinking. Get teens in the habit of reading some magazines and maybe they'll continue to buy magazines when they get older. It's like my mom liking chicken feet soup because she had it often as a kid.
posted by Mitheral at 8:58 PM on November 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
Subscribers don’t pay for magazines, advertisers do. Circulation dollars help some but not enough.
I think it’s likely Teen Vogue wasn’t making money...it probably was always a bit of a bonus sell, like buying ads in Vogue? Why not toss an ad into the pre-teen and teen market too. But now that niche space is mostly wholly occupied by online ads especially for the younger set. And by online ads I mean shipping product to beauty vloggers, maybe paying the top few a pittance (compared to a print ad) or flying then around to some events.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:35 AM on November 3, 2017
I think it’s likely Teen Vogue wasn’t making money...it probably was always a bit of a bonus sell, like buying ads in Vogue? Why not toss an ad into the pre-teen and teen market too. But now that niche space is mostly wholly occupied by online ads especially for the younger set. And by online ads I mean shipping product to beauty vloggers, maybe paying the top few a pittance (compared to a print ad) or flying then around to some events.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:35 AM on November 3, 2017
That may be true, but print ads have always made more money that line ads. When I worked in publishing we called it "Trading dollars for dimes." People do not like paying much for online ads (especially if the advertiser is not google).
There's been a debate with the industry at to whether the future is in print or in online. These are newspaper focused, but show how some of the thinking is changing.
Print is dead. Long live print.
Print will save the Newspaper industry
posted by cjorgensen at 4:24 AM on November 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
There's been a debate with the industry at to whether the future is in print or in online. These are newspaper focused, but show how some of the thinking is changing.
Print is dead. Long live print.
Print will save the Newspaper industry
posted by cjorgensen at 4:24 AM on November 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Wait, did I miss a memo about Christian Slater ?
Assaulted his girlfriend in 1997, did three months in prison. Reportedly sexually harassed a woman in 2005, caught on video. Charges dropped.
posted by maxsparber at 4:27 AM on November 3, 2017
Assaulted his girlfriend in 1997, did three months in prison. Reportedly sexually harassed a woman in 2005, caught on video. Charges dropped.
posted by maxsparber at 4:27 AM on November 3, 2017
Cjorgensen, sure, but my guess is Teen Vogue was always a bonus buy to Vogue and now online is the bonus. Also, it’s fine for publishers to say that (and it may be true for them) but I haven’t seen /advertisers/ weeping for print.
I worked for a beloved, successful in circulation niche women’s magazine for 5 years where people called - called! - is as soon as issues dropped to complain if stores were out of what we shot, and we still couldn’t make enough bank. This was during the 2008 recession, granted.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:00 AM on November 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I worked for a beloved, successful in circulation niche women’s magazine for 5 years where people called - called! - is as soon as issues dropped to complain if stores were out of what we shot, and we still couldn’t make enough bank. This was during the 2008 recession, granted.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:00 AM on November 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Does Conde Nast still own Reddit? If they shut down Teen Vogue to funnel more funds into that cesspit, I would be stunned but not actually surprised.
posted by peppermind at 6:07 AM on November 3, 2017
posted by peppermind at 6:07 AM on November 3, 2017
Recently, Reddit's been changing its policies; has just done a purge of many of the worst spots. (Maybe that deserves an FPP? I went to look for a recent link because I know they've been handing off ownership of some of the terrible subreddits and they've been refocused, but I can't find a link about that.)
If Condé Nast owns Reddit, I doubt that directly connected to this decision; I suspect it's more "print is expensive; teen girls, especially the ones most interested in TV's recent focus, aren't very likely to spend hundreds of dollars on fashion; we could get those ad dollars to buy space elsewhere."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 7:55 AM on November 3, 2017
If Condé Nast owns Reddit, I doubt that directly connected to this decision; I suspect it's more "print is expensive; teen girls, especially the ones most interested in TV's recent focus, aren't very likely to spend hundreds of dollars on fashion; we could get those ad dollars to buy space elsewhere."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 7:55 AM on November 3, 2017
IIRC Reddit is a parallel organization they are insulated from, because Reddit.
posted by Artw at 8:10 AM on November 3, 2017
posted by Artw at 8:10 AM on November 3, 2017
Considering the worst subreddits are the default ones, I don't think they've fixed anything. And any subreddit that BECOMES a default turns into a MRA/white supremacy playground (And yeah, the ownership situation is confusing)
posted by Yowser at 8:17 AM on November 3, 2017
posted by Yowser at 8:17 AM on November 3, 2017
Does Conde Nast still own Reddit? If they shut down Teen Vogue to funnel more funds into that cesspit, I would be stunned but not actually surprised.
Condé Nast hasn't owned Reddit since 2011. It's owed by Condé Nast's parent company, Advance Publications.
posted by Fidel Cashflow at 10:16 AM on November 3, 2017
Condé Nast hasn't owned Reddit since 2011. It's owed by Condé Nast's parent company, Advance Publications.
posted by Fidel Cashflow at 10:16 AM on November 3, 2017
Subscribers don’t pay for magazines, advertisers do. Circulation dollars help some but not enough.
This may be true of glossy waiting room garbage, but it is far from universal. There are, and have long been, ad-free magazines supported entirely by subscribers and newsstand sales. They usually cost more, and one assumes they’re struggling as much as ad-supported publications, but they do exist.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:35 AM on November 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
This may be true of glossy waiting room garbage, but it is far from universal. There are, and have long been, ad-free magazines supported entirely by subscribers and newsstand sales. They usually cost more, and one assumes they’re struggling as much as ad-supported publications, but they do exist.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:35 AM on November 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yes, true, there are a few magazines that do but other than Ms. I can’t think of any that transitioned from one to the other. I don’t think Adbusters or Consumer Reports ever did.
Regardless, my point is that arguing “readers love it” isn’t really a business argument for profitability.
posted by warriorqueen at 11:57 AM on November 3, 2017
Regardless, my point is that arguing “readers love it” isn’t really a business argument for profitability.
posted by warriorqueen at 11:57 AM on November 3, 2017
There's a parallel somewhere here with Patreon and Youtube: where content creators (and the content they create) are not viewed as a valuable asset to a platform. The content is a means to an end to get ads to the consumer's eyes.
posted by ananci at 5:11 PM on November 3, 2017
posted by ananci at 5:11 PM on November 3, 2017
The irony is that newspapers and magazines invented the advertising model.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:22 PM on November 3, 2017
posted by warriorqueen at 5:22 PM on November 3, 2017
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