Magazines also struggle for an identity

In case you thought it was just newspapers going through dramatic changes, MediaPost offers details on the latest moves in the consumer magazine field as three more publications move to expand their digital offerings.

Magazines face different problems than newspapers. The fundamental question all publishers must decide, I believe, is what consumers are getting out of their publications. Are they reading them for information (news is a form of information), for entertainment (well-written stories, such as in the New Yorker), just to pass the time (crossword puzzles, sudoku), or other reasons. It seems to me that the reason a reader is attracted to a publication will dictate how that reader (and, although it seems many media managers often forget this, Internet consumers are generally reading) can be most effectively served. For example, I am a very heavy media consumer. I scan certain Internet sites for news several times a day. But I read the New Yorker not only for information but for pleasure. I can't imagine reading it on line.

The problem U.S. media managers face, of course, is that their advertisers are seeking reader eyes, and don't care why I read something and notice their ads; just that I do. So publications need to keep our eyes while convincing advertisers they can best reach their audience by advertising in the publication, whether it be printed on paper or on line. It's several tough jobs at once, and it's ongoing.