After 25 years of publication More! magazine has suspended publication. I was shocked that a long running magazine could suddenly come to such an abrupt end, with no real explanation other than an official statement from Bauer Media stating that ‘continuing challenging economic conditions mean that the product is no longer viable’. What exactly does this mean? Are they trying to imply that the recession has introduced cuts, resulting in people no longer buying a weekly magazine? More! was arguably not one of the most popular weekly celebrity magazines, but I did not expect it to come to an end. There have certainly been no signs that it would not continue to be published.
The sudden ending of More! magazine brings about other questions, such as is the celebrity magazine industry an overcrowded market? The magazine industry is populated with celebrity glossies such as Hello, OK!, Now, Heat and New. However each magazine is very different in its own right and despite the temptation of each magazine to print exactly the same celebrity gossip, there is not much crossover between them.
In fact, More! had its own distinctive character, bringing their twenty something readers careers and relationship advice as well some celebrity gossip. It is famous for its ‘Position of the Week’ and ‘Men Overheard’ features – one page which will be sorely missed by readers, judging by some tweets I have seen.
Perhaps one negative thing about More! magazine was that it never really got to grips with online journalism, as it never had its own website with daily updates. Whilst most magazines now have an online as well as print team, More! did not however. This is arguably one way that More! never evolved as a magazine. To cultivate readership a strong online presence is needed, journalism is changing and becoming progressively dominated by online media.
While it is a shame that More! has stopped publication, I hope that this is not the start of cuts to the magazine industry. For someone who hopes to forge a career in the magazine industry the last thing that I want to see is a decrease in publications. Never-the-less, thank you to More! for bringing us the latest celebrity gossip, lifestyle, relationship and beauty advice for 25 years.