When you see staples on the side of a trade pub …

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Dave J.

… you can tell the page count is down.

I received an automotive engineering trade publication today with a stapled binding. I’ve seen this during other recessions, and that means ads, and content, are cut back.

As I flipped thru it, I started noticing how articles were on facing pages. Hmmm. Now fully aware, I noticed the only ads were by supporting groups. I got to the back of the magazine, and the advertiser’s list showed just six companies. SIX.

(Four of those were cover/premium positions, meaning only two ads in the actual meat of the publication.)

That’s almost as scary as taking a drive thru the city of Flint, here in Michigan.

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  • Marjorie

    What do you think of Seth Godin’s prediction that “there will be no significant newspapers printed on newsprint in the US by 2012″ (in his post http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/04/sixty-to-zero.html)?

    Obviously this would mean an even bigger change in print trade publications than those we’re seeing now caused by the recession…Thomas went web-based years ago; do you think the rest of these publications can evolve to fit a new medium, that many will shut down, or that Seth is wrong and they won’t need to?

  • Marjorie

    What do you think of Seth Godin’s prediction that “there will be no significant newspapers printed on newsprint in the US by 2012″ (in his post http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/04/sixty-to-zero.html)?Obviously this would mean an even bigger change in print trade publications than those we’re seeing now caused by the recession…Thomas went web-based years ago; do you think the rest of these publications can evolve to fit a new medium, that many will shut down, or that Seth is wrong and they won’t need to?