NW, OK! Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Men's Health, axed by magazine giant Bauer

Magazine giant Bauer has closed eight of its best known titles, as the pandemic recession takes a heavy toll on the publishing industry.

Harper's BAZAAR Australia, ELLE Australia, InStyle, Men's Health Australia, Women's Health Australia, Good Health, NW and OK! Australia, will not return after their production was suspended in May.

The suspension came as a consequence of travel restrictions hampering the production of several of the magazines.

Bauer has announced Women's Health, NW and Elle, among other titles, will be axed.

And declining advertising revenue took a toll on the rest of the titles.

Several other titles owned by Bauer were also suspended from production during the pandemic.

But their return will be reliant on an improvement in advertising sales.

The media advertising market declined by $300 million in Australia in April, nearly 40 percent down on the previous month.

Bauer Media's local CEO Brendan Hill said no one could have anticipated the "swift, widespread and ongoing impact of the pandemic on our business and industry".

Bauer bought ACP's magazine stable for $525 million in 2012, and has reportedly sold it last month for $50 million.

"We, like many other media companies, have deeply felt the impact of COVID-19.

"The reinstatement of these titles and teams was always dependent on the advertising market bouncing back and the return of domestic and international travel.

"Despite promising signs from advertisers in recent weeks, this has not outweighed the medium term outlook for these titles."

"Additionally, with a second lock-down in Victoria and minimal travel, it is not feasible to sufficiently distribute NW and OK! without transit channels."

Some of the staffers at the eight magazines were given temporary work elsewhere in the business, and the company said it will try to find alternative employment for many left out of work.

"The real and significant loss is that of our exceptionally talented and loyal colleagues as part of these closures," Mr Hill said.

"We have been optimistic about bringing our team back, however the market has only seen further decline since stand downs were implemented in May.

"We wanted to give direction and clarity to our staff as early as possible, rather than create further uncertainty with irregular publishing schedules.

"This is a devastating blow to those who are directly affected, the entire Bauer team and the industry as a whole."

Mr Hill noted that the end of lockdown in New Zealand has allowed the company to bring back 40 staff there in recent weeks.

Last week Bauer Media Australia was given the green light to be sold to Mercury Capital.



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