Notebook magazine set to close

Several news sites are stating that Notebook magazine is set to close.

According to B&T Today, more than 20 people worked on the title, with most being found jobs on other News Magazines titles, with a small number of redundancies.

Notebook’s circulation dropped 4% in the latest ABC audit. In the six months to June this year it had sales of 70,188 compared to 73,093 in the previous corresponding period.

News Magazines is expected to issue a statement shortly.

Notebook's average sales were 70,188 a month in the June half, down from 73,093 a year earlier. Soon after its August 2005 launch it was selling more than 100,000 copies a month.

The title was started by the Hannan family's FPC Magazines in August 2005 offering an alternative to the celebrity news and gossip rag.

It featured arrangements of flowers on each cover, although this format was later dropped in favour of a more traditional approach.

Initially, Notebook exceded its targets of 65,000 copies a month, with its first audited circulation in December 2005 coming in at about 96,000 copies.

News magazines took over the title in 2006 when it acquired FPC Magazines.

A $1 million relaunch of the magazine in 2008 - under new editor Caroline Roessler - did not reverse its sales slide, though. At the same time, the costly section bookmarks that were one of the magazine's differentiators was scrapped.

Ex-FPC magazines chief executive Michael McHugh was the brains behind the mag, and at first it sold upwards of 100,00 copies.

In the most recent ABC audit, Notebook had a circulation of 70,188 copies, down 3.97%year-on-year.