A Magazine's Radical Plan: Make a Profit

A Magazine's Radical Plan: Make a Profit "Despite significant circulation and advertising gains and a passel of journalism awards since he acquired the magazine from Mortimer Zuckerman, The Atlantic continues to lose millions of dollars a year. So Mr. Bradley, the consultant, advised Mr. Bradley, the magazine owner, to take several steps that are both radical and simple, at least in the publishing industry: charge readers more while shunning the cult of big circulation.
In 2004, The Atlantic Monthly will cut its rate base, the number of copies promised to advertisers, to 325,000 from 450,000 (the magazine's actual average circulation exceeded 500,000 last year). And readers will be asked to pay almost twice as much to subscribe — about $30 instead of an average of about $16. The changes come after the magazine decreased its frequency to 10 times a year from 12, so the per-copy price is even higher."

Renew today, before they double the price! In the meantime, watch for an excellent James Fallows article on Rupert Murdoch in the latest issue -- which is not yet posted on the magazine's Web site.