Suddenly, it's getting crowded in here and I've got to hire more boatswains on the River Styx just to carry David Pecker's roadkill!
As hinted at a mere week ago, but it's now real, Celebrity Living Weekly has been put out of its misery along with two other AMI titles, MPH and Shape en Espagnol.
There is only so much celebrity crap the public can fork over money for, and something had to go.
Congratulations to Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni for picking Celebrity Living Weekly as one of "2005's most interesting magazine launches," only a mere week or so ago. What's interesting about Celebrity Living Weekly is why it was created at all.
MPH, which was AMI's attempt at doing a Maxim-style car book, had no chance with automotive ads drying up. And Shape En Espagnol -- well, leave it to AMI to bungle a magazine in one of the fastest growing ethnic markets in the US.
What we need to do now is make some room down here for Mr. Pecker. Someplace where he can't take on any more debt and hide from board members seeking his skin.
David Pecker
ODDS OF SURVIVAL: 20% and dropping fast!
I smell a visitor coming!
Smells like the umpteenth celebrity magazine that could not break out of the pack may be ready to cough up a keel over.
Gawker broke the news that things are looking <cough> grim for Celebrity Living Weekly, AMI's third or fifth entry into the field.
Ironic that this magazine may printing its last page on the very day that Professor Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni -- self-professed know-it-all of magazine launches -- declared Celebrity Living Weekly as one of "the top 5 magazine launches of 2005." With this kind of publishing insight and knowledge, if he was picking your magazine as launch of the year, you'd better get your resume out quick!
According to Mediaweek, OK! magazine's newsstand went up 60% after a redesign and a price cut from $3.29 to down $1.99.
Gotta have very very deep pockets to keep this going, which is supposed to end in mid-May.
Clearly not an advertising play, OK! may be able to keep its head above water, as this means they are bringing in roughly an additional $180,000 an issue with this promotion.
Will OK? have to make this cut price permanent if this is the price consumers will expect and are used to?
Stay tuned, but the odds have improved for OK! survival for the moment.
NEW SURVIVAL ODDS: 20%
* Latecomer in an overcrowded field.
* Newsstand sales, the lifeblood of this category, not up to expectations.
* Cover price cut from $3.29 to $1.99 to stay competitive.
* Magazine size shrunk.
* Layoffs.
* Ad agency WPP says OK! owner Richard Desmond owes him millions from helping launch US edition (Guardian).
SURVIVAL ODDS: 10%
