Circulation: Time, Spin Innovate to Improve Engagement

Time magazine's Paid circulation for the second half of 2005 was flat at 4 million, but compared to the same period the previous year, Newsstand sales fell 16.3 percent
During the same period the circulation of music magazine Spin fell 5.3 percent to 540,901 copies, with both subscriptions and newsstand down year-over-year
(both figures from Audit Bureau of Circulations).

This week has seen announcements of significant changes from both magazines in an attempt to improve reader engagement and push up readership figures.

SPIN: Bigger for Better Photos….
Starting with its September issue, Spin increases its trim size from 8-by-10 inches to 9-by-11 inches.

Publisher Malcolm Campbell believes that the move will enable the 21-year-old monthly to include more photos and to stand out on newsstands. It will also help get in more ads. Accompanying the size change are more value-adds like a music player on spin.com (to allow readers to hear the bands they’re reading about) and a new column, "The Spin Mix: Songs You Need to Download Now." The magazine will also will be printed on recycled paper stock.

TIME:Weekend Reading
As a first step toward "redefining the relationship between the reader, the magazine and TIME.com" TIME magazine plans to shift its on-sale date from Monday to Friday, The change which is effective from January 2007, brings back the magazine's original Friday delivery date established by founding editor Henry Luce in 1923.
The publishers believe that the pre-weekend delivery will allow readers to spend more time with the magazine. Copies will hit newsstands on Fridays and most subscribers will receive their magazines by Saturday.
Their competition 'Newsweek' hits the stands on Monday.

Newspaper and magazines have been cost-cutting for last few years. Staff lay-offs seem to be most 'popular' (or rather unpopular) method of cost cutting. Reducing the size of broadsheet to compact, cutting page numbers are few others.
The steps taken by 'Time' and 'Spin' seem more postive as they aim at 'enhancing readership' rather than cost cutting. Let's hope readers and advertisers respond positively too ....