The Magazine in Best Shape? Fitness

The magazine industry is going to hell in a handbasket — most  titles saw ad page declines through the first six months. But a small handful  somehow managed to gain ad pages. Who was the biggest winner? Meredith’s 1.5 million-circulation Fitness reported the biggest gain through the period, with ad pages rising 18.4 percent to 408.76.

Jason Fell reports for Folio:

Consumer magazines have been slammed in the down economy. Late last week, the Publisher’s Information Bureau said ad pages in the second quarter fell 29.5 percent industry-wide. Through the first half, ad pages were down 27.9 percent.

While the majority of titles saw ad page declines through the first six months, some—10, to be exact—managed gains. Meredith’s 1.5 million-circulation Fitness reported the biggest gain through the period, with ad pages rising 18.4 percent to 408.76.

As we reported yesterday, Meredith CEO Steve Lacy is the second most powerful Magazine Titan judged by the Power Grid. This period of relative growth Meredith is enjoying is even more remarkable considering the current ad climate.

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