I’m likely showing my age by disclosing the fact that many of my grade school teachers made reading Life magazine a required part of our classroom curriculum. I used to spend a lot of time studying the magazine’s large glossy pictures. And, I’d venture to guess that even if we are not the same age, you have likely paged through a copy of the magazine yourself in an office lobby or in the waiting room at your doctor’s office.
I think it’s safe to say the magazine is an institution, which is why I was saddened to hear that Life’s publisher, Time Inc. is shutting down Life magazine yet again. This is the third time Time Inc. has shut down Life magazine, which currently runs as a newspaper supplement.
The magazine was originally launched in 1936 as a weekly, but in 1972 regular publication was halted. In 1978 it resurfaced as a monthly magazine, only to be suspended again in 2000. In 2004, the publisher gave the magazine another shot as a newspaper supplement, but alas, less than three years later it will no longer exist as that either. Instead, Time Inc. announced that it plans to keep the Life brand going on the Internet, where it will “launch a website with photos from its massive image collection, and by publishing books.”
At a recent news conference company executives cited the “decline in the newspaper business” and poor advertising outlook as factors in its decision to stop publishing the Life supplement that had been carried in 103 newspapers. As a newspaper supplement, Life competed with other inserts including Parade and USA Weekend.
Time Inc. executives told reporters that magazines as a whole are facing tough times. The Life announcement comes on the heels of a media release the company sent out in January, which stated that is was cutting nearly 300 jobs and selling 18 of its smaller magazine titles including Popular Science and Parenting. Currently, the company’s strongest magazines include People, Sports Illustrated, Time and Fortune. But, frankly, with the dominance of the Internet you have to wonder how long those magazines will remain on the newsstands…
Related Articles:
Katie Couric’s “Magic” Weight Loss Program