Biz magazine ad revenue growth doubles rest of industry

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The 13 business magazines reported ad revenue of $588.2 million in the first six months of 2011, up 8.6 percent from the first six months of the previous year, far outpacing the 4.0 percent increase for the entire magazine industry, according to data released Thursday by the Publishers Information Bureau and analyzed by Talking Biz News.

Ad pages also rose 4.1 percent to 6195.95 for the business magazines, which also outperformed the 1.3 percent decline in ad pages for the entire industry during the first half of the year.

The increases continue the biz magazine industry’s rebound after years of declines. Ad revenue rose 9.6 percent and ad pages rose 7.2 percent in 2010 after a 21.7 percent decline in ad revenue and a 28.7 percent decline in ad revenue in 2009.

The strongest performer in the first half of the year was Wired, which saw a 37.7 percent increase in ad revenue to $43.9 million and a 26.6 percent increase in ad pages to 412.44.

Among the biggest business titles, Bloomberg Businessweek continues to outperform Forbes and Fortune. It reported a 27.7 percent increase in ad revenue to $98 million and a 15.8 percent increase in ad pages to 15.8 percent.

In comparison, Forbes reported a 2.6 percent rise in ad revenue to $111.7 million and a 3.2 percent decline in ad pages to 767.18 for the first six months of 2011. Fortune reported a 4.6 percent increase in ad revenue to $84.2 million and a 1 percent decline in ad pages to 629.06.

The personal finance magazines continue to struggle.

Money magazine’s ad revenue fell 9.8 percent to $50.9 million in the first six months of the year, while its ad pages fell 13.7 percent to 236.38. SmartMoney’s ad revenue fell 8.2 percent to $17.4 million and its ad pages fell 13.1 percent to 179.50.

Fast Company performed well in the first six months of the year. It saw a 21.7 percent rise in ad revenue to $21.3 million and a 17.1 percent rise in ad pages to $246.69.

See all of the magazine data here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.