One of the reasons this blog is named Stats & Storylines is because Wakefield believes that statistics tell stories.
In this case, a gloomy one.
This article from Crain’s N.Y. Business shares several stats that reveal the current “quicksand” status of the magazine world:
In the first half of 2009, a total of 279 magazines ceased publication, according to a report from MediaFinder.com …
An additional 43 titles, including Crain Communications’ TV Week, shut down their print editions and continued publishing online. … In the same period, just 187 new magazines launched.
For the entire year of 2008, the net change in the number of magazine titles was a drop of 148. That doesn’t include 18 mags that went to online only.