August 4th, 1999

[9:30 AM] MacAddict Shows Growth, Defies Industry Trend Our good friends at MacAddict Magazine have shown once again that they understand what Mac users want in a print magazine. The magazine has continued to show growth in an industry awash with falling advertising and subscription rates. The magazine has reported growth in both subscriptions and advertising revenues. According to MacAddict: According to CPAR's latest edition, MacAddict magazine (http://www.macaddict.com) continued to post strong advertising growth for the first six month period of 1999, showing a dramatic increase of 18.9% in advertising pages and 76.8% in estimated advertising revenue, which is up sharply from the same six month period last year. With the industry trend showing an overall decline in both ad revenue and volume, MacAddict stands out as one of the few magazines with a continued increase on both fronts. Statement from CPAR "The 16 leading consumer publications in the index posted ad page declines of 13.5% for the first six months of 1999, on the heels of a 13.6% decline in ad pages in the first three months of the year," states CPAR. "From its inception, MacAddict has provided a consistent, high quality, editorial content that has afforded Macintosh vendors a premium showcase for their wares," states Cheryl England, publisher and editorial director of MacAddict. "I see MacAddict's continued growth, especially in the face of an industry downturn, as a simple confirmation of that fact." Additional growth is reflected in MacAddict's recent guaranteed rate base increase to 180,000, with the July 1999 issue. As of its December 1998 BPA Statement, the magazine's total qualified paid circulation has increased 85% in the last 25 months (January 1997 Initial Audit report, December 1998 BPA Statement). Part of this growth is fueled by MacAddict's involvement in Apple's "Card in the Box" program which provides all Apple customers with a choice of complimentary magazine subscriptions. Concurrent with MacAddict's burgeoning growth, is a recent outpouring of industry recognition. So far in 1999, MacAddict has garnered its second consecutive nomination for Best Computing/Telecommunications Magazine from Western Publications Association, and was the sole Macintosh publication to receive a Computer Press Association Award nomination. This year's CPA nomination, was MacAddict's second. The first year the magazine was nominated, it won for Best Overall Computer Magazine. Then in 1998, MacAddict won Folio's prestigious Editorial Excellence Award for Best Consumer Computer Publication. The Mac Observer Spin: MacAddict really does stand out in the print world. Their aggressive and unapologetic approach to being Mac fans has obviously continued to strike a positive chord with readers and the entire industry can probably learn a trick or two from them. With the advent of the web, many print magazines in the technology sector have found that so many hard core fans have gone to the web where content arrives much sooner and is free thanks to banner ads. MacAddict has been able to buck this trend in part by offering more than just news and reviews. They offer an attitude, which few other magazines have been able to match. In any event, congratulations to MacAddict Magazine and their parent company, Imagine Media. [Editor's Note: Imagine Media is also the parent company of the MacDaily Network of which The Mac Observer, and the online version of MacAddict Magazine, are members.] MacAddict Magazine