13.11.2009

Contract Journal to close

Reed Publishing has announced the closure of its UK magazine Contract Journal and the restructuring of other titles.

Contract Journal has been one of two main construction related magazines in the UK for many years, but has been forced to close due to the massive drop in advertising revenues.

The main beneficiary will be Construction News which also publishes tender and contract award information along with construction related techniques and news.

At the same time Reed, which also owns the SED show the UK, will bring its other construction related title PMJ (Plant Managers Journal) out of “semi hibernation” and rename it ‘SED the magazine’.

The changes will take effect at the end of this month, no information has yet been provided as to whether the frequency of the new title will be stepped up or not.

Vertikal Comment

The loss of Contract Journal is a sad one, the magazine has weathered past recessions and been a stalwart of the UK construction scene for as long as most can recall. Unlike Construction News it had switched away from the subscription model some years ago and depended wholly on advertising.

While both magazines have shrunk in size this year, the former generates substantial revenues from its subscriber base, which helps it maintain at least a positive cash flow.

This announcement is more than just abut the current economic climate. it also reflects the changing dynamics in publishing as online content continues to grow, the only problem with that is that free online news is not commercially viable, even for the big newspaper groups with their high online advertising rates.

Online sites tend to be supported by print media, or use content generated by others or are staffed by fanatics who do it for love……..

We still believe that most people still want to receive a specialist printed publication, as long as it has something to say and is of a decent quality. Such publications do need supporting though ..hint hint..