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| Home Front: Politix |
| Angry readers dump Us Magazine over Palin |
| 2008-09-05 |
| Three celebrity weeklies — OK!, People and Us Weekly — featured Sarah Palin on their cover, but one of those magazines is reportedly losing subscribers because of it. Us Weekly, which unlike People and OK!, chose a rather caustic cover line (“Babies, Lies and Scandal”) is said to have lost thousands of subscribers in just the first 24 hours following the printing of the issue. “I’m hearing it’s 5,000, maybe more,” says one well-placed source in the industry. Another source claimed that as many as 10,000 readers have already cancelled their subscriptions. A spokesperson for Wenner Media, which publishes Us, says “it is completely false that we are losing 10,000 subscribers.” As for the 5,000 estimate, the spokesperson only said “that is false, too,” but wouldn’t comment further. Five thousand might not seem like a large number at first glance, but it’s significant in the context of Us’s printing schedule. The magazine goes to press Monday night, which means subscribers don’t receive their issues until Friday or Saturday. In other words, the cancellations are coming from subscribers who, in many cases, haven’t even gotten their hands on the actual issue. “When Us went to print Monday night, it looked like the ticket was falling apart," says one magazine editor. “They went to print thinking Palin was dead in the water, and their mistake was thinking everyone who reads Us is a Democrat, when they’re not. Readers are loyal, but the base of a political party is more loyal. They don’t need to read the magazine when there’s so much press around it to know to be upset.” Upset might be an understatement: One Us advertiser has admitted that they’ve received calls from angry former subscribers threatening to boycott their products. “(Us publisher) Jann Wenner supports Obama, Wenner media decided to follow the buzz around Palin before her speech, and now subscribers feel like a vote has been cast on their behalf," says another magazine editor. “It’s going to be tough to bounce back from this one. Especially if the advertisers get involved. If they get nervous, that can hurt all of us.” |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #17 I saw the vid of the female taking the US talking head down. Please, they couldn't find 6-7 spaces to give the year of her husband'd DUI? |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2008-09-05 20:51 |
| #16 Quite likely their subscriber base isn't all that large & they sell many of their copies at grocery store checkouts. ?? |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-09-05 16:35 |
| #15 Right you are, trailing wife! I had initially thought that if they lost 15,000 then they it would be untrue if they said, "it is completely false that we are losing 10,000 subscribers" - as if they lost 10,001 it would still be true that they lost 10,000. But you are correct, they may just have meant that it was false that the actual number was 10,000. Good catch. |
| Posted by: Betty Grating2215 2008-09-05 13:46 |
| #14 It could be 15,000, Betty Grating2215 dear. If they'd said "More than," or "Less than," either of the figures that would be indicative, but not bracketing at all is weaseling out of saying something that could get them in trouble with the board and the shareholders later. Especially if the flow of cancellations is continuing. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-09-05 13:32 |
| #13 it is completely false that we are losing 10,000 subscribers." As for the 5,000 estimate, the spokesperson only said "that is false, too," but wouldn't comment further. so at the time the statement was made, we can conclude that the loss of subscriptions was greater than 5,000 (they notably didn't ask them if it was "more or less than" but said "as for the 5,000 estimate". So we know it wasn't exactly 5,000 and it was (at that time) less than 10,000. heheh. slow suicide. |
| Posted by: Betty Grating2215 2008-09-05 13:25 |
| #12 Balance it out with The New Republic or Atlantic or something, Dr. Steve. I'm not in your part of the world but I've gotten so tired of learning new ways to paint trash pink and white with just a hint of spring green, then turn it into lamps, bookshelves, funky little tables... Not to mention all the cures for being tired when more sleep won't do the trick. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-09-05 13:16 |
| #11 Wouldn't work. Not enough pictures. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-09-05 13:14 |
| #10 If I could get away with it I'd throw a few copies of National Review into the mix in our waiting area ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-09-05 13:05 |
| #9 (smiling) Yeah I did, but I didn't have to pick up cat litter that day so maybe.. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-09-05 12:55 |
| #8 swksvoIFF, did you look in the toilet paper section at Dillon's? |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-09-05 12:36 |
| #7 Was pleasently surprised at Dillon's grocery store - that is a regional Kansas business and they do not have arugula if you were wondering. The store did not have the recent Us magazine on display. Now that I think about it, there were still quite a few of the old edition still on the rack. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-09-05 12:10 |
| #6 If they get nervous, that can hurt all of us. If the media is unable to deliver on the O'man after selling their hearts and souls, someone is going to wake up in marketing and wonder why they are spending so much money on these venues to communicate with their customers. They've exposed themselves to a very nasty and serious 'return on investment' adjustments. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-09-05 11:20 |
| #5 It seems to me we are watching a major realignment of the media. They decided to make a final stand over Obama. He might win, but the lefty media will probably take a mortal wound in the process. They are already bleeding left and right, perhaps they have nothing left to lose. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-09-05 11:11 |
| #4 According to Drudge, Oprah is balking at hosting Sarah Palin on her show, too. My one mild regret is that I neither watch one or read the other, so I can't join the pile-on. Bad form to piss off a major part of your readership or audience. Just ask the Dixie Chicks. |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2008-09-05 10:40 |
| #3 tu3031, maybe a 3 year-old copy of Good Housekeeping, like in my Doctor's office. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-09-05 09:56 |
| #2 Geez, what am I gonna read at the doctors office? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-09-05 09:52 |
| #1 Anyone have a list of advertisers? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-09-05 09:46 |