WEEKLY READER: News travels fast, and according to the first-half figures reported by Audit Bureau of Circulations, it seems both newsweeklies and celebrity weeklies are having trouble keeping up with the flow of information. While six-month reports in the past few years have showed skyrocketing growth for the celebrity category, the more mature titles have slowed, posting soft newsstand results for the first six months of 2007. Of those titles, People reported a 5.6 percent decline in single-copy sales, to 1.4 million, while overall circ fell 2.2 percent to 3.7 million. Its first half of 2007 compares with the year-ago period where it banked 2.3 million single copies in one week thanks to exclusive photos of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. Us Weekly reported a 3.4 percent decline in single-copy sales, to 971,756, but a 4.8 percent growth in total circulation, to 1.8 million. And Star, which missed its 1.5 million rate base for the period by about 40,000 copies, reported a 3.5 percent dip in single-copy sales, to 726,037.
Are readers finally sick of Paris Hilton and regular rehabbers Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears? "It might be some reader fatigue," said People managing editor Larry Hackett. "This has been one where the news stories and personalities involved started to have some of the same old, same old feel, and the likeability in some of the personalities has started to fade." People's top three newsstand sellers this period came thanks to non-news related established franchises — its January Half Their Size issue on weight loss sold 1.6 million copies, its annual 100 Most Beautiful People sold 1.8 million copies and the issue featuring Patrick Dempsey's twins sold 1.7 million issues. In addition, the rapid-paced news cycle puts all of the weeklies at a disadvantage — blogs and television news outlets can exhaust news that breaks on a Monday (like the Virginia Tech shootings) by the time the weeklies hit a few days later.
Nevertheless, the younger — and cheaper — Bauer Publishing titles still showed newsstand strength. In Touch posted 10.6 percent growth, to 1.2 million, while Life & Style reported a 6.8 increase, to 744,294. OK! reported total paid and verified circ of 809,411, a growth of 54.3 percent; newsstand increased 25.3 percent.
Are readers finally sick of Paris Hilton and regular rehabbers Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears? "It might be some reader fatigue," said People managing editor Larry Hackett. "This has been one where the news stories and personalities involved started to have some of the same old, same old feel, and the likeability in some of the personalities has started to fade." People's top three newsstand sellers this period came thanks to non-news related established franchises — its January Half Their Size issue on weight loss sold 1.6 million copies, its annual 100 Most Beautiful People sold 1.8 million copies and the issue featuring Patrick Dempsey's twins sold 1.7 million issues. In addition, the rapid-paced news cycle puts all of the weeklies at a disadvantage — blogs and television news outlets can exhaust news that breaks on a Monday (like the Virginia Tech shootings) by the time the weeklies hit a few days later.
Nevertheless, the younger — and cheaper — Bauer Publishing titles still showed newsstand strength. In Touch posted 10.6 percent growth, to 1.2 million, while Life & Style reported a 6.8 increase, to 744,294. OK! reported total paid and verified circ of 809,411, a growth of 54.3 percent; newsstand increased 25.3 percent.
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