US magazine circulation falls 9 pct

Single-copy sales of magazines at newsstands fell 9 percent in the second half of 2009. Overall circulation fell 2.2 percent and paid subscriptions fell by 1.1 percent.

It is difficult to say how much of the decline is the result of consumers abandoning an old medium for the Web and how much results from the recession hitting people's budgets.

Another factor is that publishers have been cutting back on heavily discounted circulation. As the cost of mailing magazines climbs, publishers figure it isn't worth the cost of printing extra copies.

AP US magazine circulation falls 9 pct at newsstands