In the midst of doomsday predictions for print media, fueled by a rapid switch from print to online viewership as well as the recession and advertising losses and with newsstand sales down by 12.4 percent in the first half of 2009 alone, one Boston magazine is surviving by embracing what some might fear: the web.

Stuff Magazine, a Boston-based publication featuring articles that appeal to a younger demographic and cover subjects like cocktails and sex, features all of its content online and as a result of this and other factors has hardly even felt the recession, said print media sales Vice President Marc Shepard.

‘The recession doesn’t affect us because we’re a free magazine,’ Shepard said. ‘We’re part of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, a privately funded group that also encompasses the Boston Phoenix, so our ‘funding’ comes from our advertising.’

The magazine, which caters to ’21 to 44, single, active, educated’ individuals, has actually experienced considerable growth within this past year, Shepard said.

‘We’re doing terrific, we actually grew during 2009,’ he said. ‘We have a really good product, and great edit and creative teams which were able to get our growth revenues up.’

The magazine’s liberal use of new and web media, Shepard said, allows an even greater audience to not only read the material, but also actively engage in commenting on the articles. This direct interaction with the magazine’s producers lets the producers know exactly what consumers expect from the product.

‘We think [being online] is better for the consumer. People can go on to the website and directly email the links to their friends,’ Shepard said. ‘So being online enables us to connect with the readers more.’

He also said having articles online facilitates the staff’s work.

‘Anytime you want to make some kind of update, you can get it done directly,’ he said.

The Improper Bostonian has had a slightly different experience in the recession, though its general trajectory has been similar to Stuff’s in its movement online.

Associate Publisher David O’Hara said The Improper has been lucky in its success.

‘[We’ve] been very fortunate during the recession.’ The strength of our brand, the complimentary distribution and the fact that we never over-leveraged our brand in recent years has allowed us to continue operating with strength,’ he said.

Like Stuff and most other print publications, The Improper relies on advertising revenue to support its finances, but unlike Stuff, it has to some extent seen the effect of the recession.

‘We have seen a moderate level of revenue loss, but far less than most local media companies,’ O’Hara said.’ ‘Fourth quarter of 2009 and 2010 to date are showing revenue growth.’

Concerning the movement online, O’Hara said that newspapers have been forced to make the switch sooner than magazines, therefore allowing magazines to plan their way into the web strategically and with less urgency.

‘Taking our time with web development has been positive for us,’ he said.’ ‘Many magazines are struggling with making a profit online.’

Most Boston University students who claim to have been avid magazine subscribers at one point in time, generally in a remote parent-funded past, said they can’t afford such a luxury anymore.

‘I used to subscribe to magazines in high school, but now because of my college budget, I can’t afford the subscriptions. So I read online,’ said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Alex Depompolo.

CAS sophomore Ljubica Gavrilovska agreed that magazine subscriptions are simply too expensive for the average college student.

‘I used to read Time and The Economist but I can’t afford them anymore, so I just let my subscription run out,’ she said. ‘$77 a subscription [The Economist’s student price for 51 issues], even with a student discount, was too much.’

‘Now I just read articles online,’ she said.’
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