We’re winning! Retreat!

Isn’t irony great? As Apple sell their expensive boxes in ever-increasing amounts, the number of people who are prepared to buy a magazine about those boxes grows ever smaller.

And so it is with Macuser magazine, who’s “unique fortnightly frequency” is about to become, er, monthly and so not unique.

This of course should not be taken as a reverse in fortune. Oh no. The editor writes:

“we can add significantly more pages to the magazine, use a higher grade of paper, and increase the cover price … our readers love print”

The ABC for Macuser magazine in 2011 was 8,518, a drop of over 10% on the 2010 figure.

There’s a free iPad for every reader if their print sale goes up when next week’s ABC figures are released.

Done down, Down Under

The Week Australia’s ‘period of consultation‘ was not as long as it could (or should) have been as the company went into voluntary liquidation on 17 October.

The title has simply stopped publishing.

There is no news as to whether staff will get proper redundancy or a statutory minimum, whether customers will get any refunds on what remains of their subscriptions or what creditors will receive. The cynical might think that this was a shoddy move to reduce the amount that the company needs to pay out to wind up its failed Australian business.

At the beginning of the month Dennis Publishing announced that its profits had risen 14% to £4.1m

Felix Dennis’s personal wealth is estimated at £500m

Shameful.

End of The Week

It seems like it might not be such a g’day for the employees of The Week in Australia, with a report in The Australian newspaper that ‘a period of consultation’ is taking place with staff.

Rumours about the difficulties facing the title have been around for a while, with both advertising sales and subscriptions stubbornly refusing to deliver what’s needed to be profitable. Parachuting in Mike Frey 18 months ago to try to sort things out doesn’t seem to have fixed the broader strategic problems that have been present since day one.

If closure does happen it will be the first setback in the seemingly unstoppable rise of The Week brand, and hugely embarrassing for the Dennis senior management who launched the Australian edition just four years ago. Whether any heads will roll is unlikely (apart, of course, from the poor saps working in Sydney).

The Week’s news

An announcement on felixdennis.com which could have interesting repercussions – Dennis is a significant-sized, privately-owned company and any threat to the long-term health of its owner has to put a question mark over the long term health of the business itself. (Although Private Frazer sincerely hopes that Felix will continue to be publishing’s thorn in the side and pain in the backside for quite a while yet.)

Felix has been diagnosed with cancer of the pharynx (throat). Following surgery in an Oxford hospital yesterday, all being well, he should be discharged from hospital within 10 days.

Following a month’s convalescence, Felix will begin a course of further treatment lasting several months. His chances of a full recovery are good.

Busted Flush

Dennis Publishing has thrown in its hand with Inside Poker magazine.

Out of gas

As the motoring industry power slides into a full-blown depression (have you seen the figures for new car sales? They make even house prices seem buoyant) it can only be a matter of time before one of the car mags fails its MOT.

Bye Buyer

It’s been a busy old time in the parlour with new bodies arriving by the moment. Latest is Dennis Publishing’s Computer Buyer which will be closing down merging with Computer Shopper after its March issue.

Next!