Mediaweek reports on a reversing trend in the magazine business: a cooling towards “green” issues. Just a few years ago, magazines were sprouting a multitude of green-themed issues, but the economic downturn has many publishers including Time Inc. (“Sunset”), Conde Nast (“Domino”), and Mariah Media (“Outside”) shelving such plans for 2009.
“Editors insist readers are still interested in green themes, although some said they are evolving coverage in response to green’s maturation. Hachette Filipacchi Media’s Elle—which made a statement by publishing its green issue on recycled paper this year—plans a water-themed issue in ’09, reminiscent of the blue issue of Rodale’s Women’s Health in 2007. [Vanity Fair] editor Graydon Carter said, via e-mail, that while he may not devote his entire May issue to the environmental theme next year, he plans more eco-oriented coverage overall—“especially now that we have an incoming administration that is sensitive to the environment, knows what it means to be green and takes the science, and the science of global warming, seriously.”
Read Nielsen’s latest stories on global attitudes towards environmental issues.
