February 2009
Hallmark Cards has announced the discontinuation of Hallmark Magazine with the February/March issue now on newsstands. The Hallmarkmagazine.com web site will close as well.
According to Donald J. Hall, Jr., Hallmark President and CEO, this decision was reached after a comprehensive analysis of the current business and trends facing the magazine publishing industry as a whole.
"Despite favorable consumer acceptance of the publication, we can not justify continued investment in the magazine at a time when we must focus our efforts and resources only on those projects that will lead to long-term profitable revenue growth for the company," Hall said.
"In just under three years, the staff in the magazine's New York office and the creative team in Kansas Cityaccomplished a great deal, creating a product that beautifully reflected the brand and reached consumers in new ways."
Hall added, "But, with the overall industry clearly struggling for the foreseeable future, we could not justify further investment."
Hallmark Magazine launched with a September/October 2006 premier issue and a rate base of 400,000. The Feb/Mar 2009 issue reached a rate base of 800,000. Advertising pages also increased steadily including a 30 per cent increase in 2008 over the prior year. Content focused on family, friends, home, communities and celebrations–bridging a gap between sophisticated lifestyle titles and traditional women's publications.
Hallmark Magazine has 28 employees. The decision also will impact ten positions in Hallmark's Kansas City-based creative division. All will be provided with severance and outplacement support.
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