No Pulse

News from the homeland, and it appears that the vital signs of Pulse magazine have started flatlining.

Described as ‘a monthly celebration of the very best Edinburgh has to offer’ (Private Frazer hopes that The Tempting Tattie is top of the list), the magazine  “has struggled throughout the year to achieve expected advertising revenues” and is expected to be canned by the middle of next month.

A free events magazine that can’t gain the necessary advertising revenue? I wonder if that’s any sort of lesson for anyone?

(hat tip to FlippingPages for this)

Death in Miniature

Like an overcomplicated Airfix kit that is left half-finished, Traplet Publications have put aside Military in Scale magazine; perhaps at some time in the future it will be found at the back of the cupboard and remembered fondly, but until then it’s just a pile of disconnected fragments.

No Bus Fare

The terminus has been reached for Jane’s Transport Finance magazine which chucked all the passengers off at the end of August.

“Recent [recent?] changes in the marketplace have resulted in the decision to end publication of all IHS Jane’s Transport Finance products and retire the product line including the magazine, website and award ceremony”

The euphemism ‘retire’ is one to be savoured, implying a gradual slow down, a gold watch and some declining years spent gardening. So much warmer and softer than ‘axed’ eh?

NGame Over

Further to yesterday’s post, a commenter has pointed out that Future has also closed Nintendo Gamer magazine as it finally administers the coup de grace to a clutch of long-standing, but poor-selling, titles.

Future’s sales volumes have been pretty pathetic in recent years. Back in 2011 I mentioned that the company had 23 titles with ABCs of under 20,000 and (closures notwithstanding) the situation is unlikely to be much better. These stats are worth bearing in mind when Future pulls its usual stunt of talking up its digital improvements – the vast majority of its revenue is still bundled around small-circulation magazines that are a breath away from extinction.

Minus One

The sums just don’t add up any more for Future’s PC Plus magazine – FeaturesExec announce that the current issue is the last.

Given that the last ABC for the title showed it sold just 9,000 copies in the UK, no one much is going to miss it and the other titles in the sector (most of which are on the critical list themselves) aren’t really going to benefit.

Also announced is the closure of What Laptop, a title that sold barely 5,000 copies, as Future bins yet more of its ink-wasters.

There’ll be more computer magazine closures very soon, or my name isn’t James Frazer. (Which, obviously, it isn’t, but you know what I mean.)

Unprepared

Unsurprisingly, given Time Out’s recent surrender to the inevitable, Scout London has folded up its tents and gone ‘digital-only’ (that favoured euphemism for ‘closed’).

In a statement Scout said: “Time Out’s plans add credence to Scout London’s business model, but in terms of content and proposition, Scout London and Time Out are very different magazines.” – in that Time Out is still in print and Scout isn’t, presumably.

Dog’s Dinner

Private Frazer is back from two weeks in France, and is filled to overflowing with warmth towards his fellow man, so it is with a positive, life-affirming spirit that he brings you the news that Meze, ‘London’s Luxury Journal’ has clicked its fingers and asked for l’addition. But perhaps if your ‘latest news’ is dated February and your blog stopped in March you weren’t really trying too hard in the first place.