House ads couldn't help save Nickelodeon's magazines
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Kids and Money, Recession
Parents of kids aged preschool to 14 were no doubt familiar with Nickelodeon's branded magazine and Nick Jr., it's monthly for preschoolers, at least from the frequent house ads that the network ran to bulk up subscriptions. The "Nickelodeon Magazine Please!" commercials were ubiquitous. But that wasn't enough to save the magazines.
Recently, Viacom announced that Nickelodeon Magazine and its Nick Jr. publication will be canceled. The company stated that ad pages dropped by 27% in 2008. According to Media Life Magazine, subscribers will receive refunds and some staff members of Nickelodeon Magazine Group will remain temporarily to produce the last big final issue in August. All 30 employees will then lose their jobs.
Nickelodeon Magazine was first published in 1990 and priced at $1.95. The network also had a partnership deal with Pizza Hut offering free distribution of the magazine with a purchase from participating restaurants. The first iteration only involved two issues. Nickelodeon Magazine then returned in the summer of 1993.
Will the bad ad market and the lack of subscriptions take other TV-boosted print plays with it? Disney Adventures, a magazine that was issued ten times per year that contained the latest news about Disney Channel was discontinued in 2007. Instead the network chose to keep viewers informed about their projects with company ads on Disney Channel. I think self-advertising through their television channel seems like a more sustainable strategy.
With increasing evidence of print media failures, the industry has chosen to go digital. For example, Oprah lost one of her niche publications, O at Home, last November. Since then, Oprah expanded her internet presence and recently began "tweeting" via Twitter. Martha Stewart noticed a decline in subscribers in her magazine line and shifted her attention to the Martha Stewart Online University.
It begs the question, If TV branding is no longer enough to keep a publication going, then what is?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-23-2009 @ 3:44PM
dean alvarez said...
why the weird tiny text that is unreadable?
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6-23-2009 @ 2:51PM
Seymour said...
It's all part of the "dumbing down of America". Nobody reads anymore. You can blame computers, or teachers, or parents, but the bottom line is, we are a fat, lazy society that won't lift a finger to do anything but grab that last slice of pizza. And now, most of you will make snide, sarcastic remarks about it because that's how you were brought up...to be a self-centered smartass. What a country!
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6-23-2009 @ 5:10PM
rozytee1 said...
People may be reading less, but are making careful selections rather than magazines that do not teach us anything, but encourage us to spend. Most magazines are mostly advertising.
6-23-2009 @ 7:07PM
webist said...
Like misusing the expression, "It begs the question."
6-23-2009 @ 7:36PM
ELR said...
Last time I checked you are reading on the computer:)
6-23-2009 @ 3:10PM
flattop said...
The domino effect on the magazine industry is tragic, but not surprising. Reading as a whole has been on the decline since TV came along. Writing itself is slowly eroding thanks to so-called progress such as texting.
I still won't join Twitter, but I'm dealing with the possible fact that it's here to stay; it's like the new MTV.
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6-23-2009 @ 4:45PM
Steven said...
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Internet is responsible for the demise of magazines. Everyone turns to the Internet now for specialized information and it doesn't cost anything more than the cost of hookup and a flat monthly subscription. Advertisers know that the Internet is a lot more profitable than magazines these days so they are investing their money in that medium. It's just part of the American way called progress, and now the print media finds itself in the same position as buggy whip manufacturers a century ago.
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6-23-2009 @ 5:03PM
Dean said...
People don`t or can`t read anymore.
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6-23-2009 @ 5:24PM
mary said...
If we'd been placing the much needed emphasis on reading and the importances of reading the last 20 pluse years maybe our print media wouldn't be dropping like flies. My 8th grade teacher told all his students if you do nothing else in this class READ! He didn't care if it was a comic book or a school book as long as we read. Because if you can't read you won't go very far in this world without that once in a life time chance few are fortunate enough to get. But those are very few. So people READ! And yes I do read. I have stacks of books of all kinds and read the newspapers too. Even math requires reading. Think about it while you read a good book!
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6-23-2009 @ 5:59PM
ed11362 said...
WHERES THE OBAMA BAILOUT???? SAVE THE CHILDREN
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6-23-2009 @ 6:27PM
Richard Ott said...
Nickelodeon used to be known as the only network for kids,
but now, with Nickelodeon & Nick Jr. Magazine coming to
an end, just as Blue's Clues & Go Diego Go have ended
their runs, we have truly witnessed the end of an era.
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6-23-2009 @ 6:44PM
smwrew said...
Nickelodeon, I wouldn't look at the end of your publications as a negative, but doing your part in "Going Green." Everyday, inbetween Sponge Bob, Dora or Drake & Josh you give props to those kids who have made a difference in helping our Mother Earth. Magazines are great, but make this an opportunity to continue your quest to teach kids about preservation and conservation. As a 30 something who watched, "You Can't Do That On Television" religiously and now watches everthing my kids watch on Nick, you definately have our support!
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6-24-2009 @ 10:51AM
Emily said...
I don't think it's that people can't read, or don't want to read for that matter, I think it's that the kids who were the target of the Nick and Disney magazines grew up. They advertised a lot in the 90s and early 2000s. They barely advertised anymore.
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6-23-2009 @ 7:22PM
chilco99 said...
Just another example of HOPE & CHANGE. R.I.P.
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6-30-2009 @ 11:48AM
cruises44 said...
Maybe they also lost readers because of the garbage they supported. Teen Pregency! A few of my nebighbors cancelled their subscriptions because of their views.
No Love Lost I Guess.
Computers are killing many traditional newspapers and magazines. Some are going to start charging for their content.
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