Complete Story
12/16/2014
Consolidation coming in Sunday magazines
A MASS-MARKET media category that Madison Avenue has perceived as unchanging for what seems like a month of Sundays is suddenly undergoing a significant makeover.
So many Sundays are germane because the category is nationally distributed newspaper magazines, also known as Sunday supplements. Until a year and a half ago, there were four major publishers in the field, but come January there will be one, the Athlon Media Group.
It is Athlon, which began with one entry in the category, Athlon Sports, that has spurred the swift consolidation. First, in August 2013, Athlon bought from PGOA Media the print publishing rights to three newspaper magazines: American Profile, Relish and Spry (now Spry Living).
Then, three months ago, Athlon acquired from Advance Publications the largest Sunday supplement by circulation, Parade, along with a newspaper magazine devoted to food, Dash.
The changes continued last Friday when Gannett unexpectedly announced that after 29 years it would close USA Weekend, effective with the Dec. 28 issue. USA Weekend, which traces its roots to the Family Weekly supplement introduced in 1953, has a circulation estimated at 18.4 million in almost 600 newspapers, second only to Parade at 32 million in more than 700 newspapers. The decision, which cost about 30 people their jobs, leaves Athlon as king of the category hill.
