Reader’s Digest remains upbeat

NEW YORK (AP) — Nothing, it seems — not even a filing for bankruptcy protection — can dim the sunny optimism of Reader’s Digest, a magazine that built its immense popularity over the past 87 years with brief articles and a cheerful disposition.

Just ask Peggy Northrop, the magazine’s editor-in-chief since 2007. Any jitters at the magazine since its parent company, Reader’s Digest Association Inc., filed for Chapter 11 this summer? “It’s business as usual,” she said.

And what about her publication’s declining circulation? “We’re still the biggest, best-read magazine in the world.”

True enough. With a circulation of just over 8 million at last count, Reader’s Digest is still one of the most-popular magazines. And in an interview with The Associated Press, Northop made clear she still thinks printed magazines with a broad, general-interest audience can stay afloat.

As the most-read magazine in the U.S., its fate over the next few years could offer some clues about the changing habits of the reading public and whether magazines can survive the shift.

Reader’s Digest has not ignored the Web. In fact, the magazine thinks its reputation for brevity can help lure information- saturated readers. Its Web site’s average unique visitors per month — a critical gauge of online traffic — rose 23 percent year-over-year in July to 1.2 million, according to the tracking firm comScore.

There’s already an electronic version of the magazine on Amazon’s Kindle electronic reading device, and an iPhone app is coming soon, Northrop said.

Advertising in the printed edition hasn’t suffered the same kind of vertigo-inducing decline that many other magazines have, either.

Ad pages were down about 8 percent year-over-year for the six months ended in June, according to the Publisher’s Information Bureau. That compares with a 26 percent decline for the U.S. magazine industry overall.

Since 1995, the magazine’s U.S. circulation has declined almost every year. From more than 15 million, it has slipped to 8.2 million. In June the magazine said it will cut its base rate — the circulation it guarantees to advertisers — to 5.5 million, meaning it won’t be able to charge as much for ads.

It also plans to pare back to 10 issues a year from 12.