Following in the sticky footsteps of lad mag Ralph, FHM (For Him Magazine) has today announced that its May issue will be its last after reports surfaced last month recording that the monthly rag suffered one of the biggest circulation drops in Australian media history, losing half its circulation in the last six months.
Australian Consolidated Press released the following (edited for brevity/sanity, with emphasis) statement:
ACP Magazines today announced it will produce the final print edition of Australian men’s monthly magazine, FHM.
The May cover-date issue will be the last print edition while the website fhm.com.au will close when that issue goes off-sale on May 13th.
ACP Magazines is endeavouring to redeploy employees, however some redundancies are expected.
“The decision to close a title is never an easy one and FHM is certainly no exception,” said Matt Stanton, CEO, ACP Magazines. “FHM is a terrific brand but, given the current market conditions, it has been difficult for ACP to make it a commercially viable proposition.”
After acquiring the licence to publish FHM through the acquisition of EMAP Australia in 2008, ACP Magazines refined and repositioned the title as a more upmarket offering.
The shifting tastes of young male readers (and I thought T&A was supposed to be timeless?), and the global economic downturn, forced the closure of RALPH in June 2010, and while FHM has battled on, it has struggled to hold its circulation.
“The editorial and advertising teams have done a remarkable job putting out a product that is as good, if not better, than the issues produced during FHM’s glory days,” he said.
Judging by this month’s cover star I don’t even want to begin to imagine what FHM’s glory days were like. Avril Lavigne looks legitimately terrified. L8er boyz.
Via Mumbrella
