Crisis at Harper's Magazine

Last week, the publisher of Harper's magazine announced its editor, Roger D. Hodge, was stepping down. At first the editorial change seemed unremarkable, afterall, like so many other magazines, Harper's is struggling with the now-familiar decline in readership, newsstand sales and relevance in an evolving media landscape.

But soon after the 160-year-old Harper's Magazine announcement reports that Hodge had been dismissed swirled in the media. Then on Sunday The New York Times ran an in-depth piece about the changes at Harper's, which examines why the struggles of Harper's magazine are unique from other stressed magazines--its publishing model.

Harper's Magazine is not only the oldest general interest magazine in the U.S. but also a non-profit. The magazine gets a majority of its endowment from its president and publisher John R. MacArthur's foundation, making him the "chief benefactor" of the magazine, as well as publisher.

The New York Times notes that the non-profit publishing model has been on the minds of many publishers struggling to keep magazines afloat but as Harper's crisis shows, there's no easy answer "...as advertising revenue in publishing has declined, many organizations have considered that foundation model — combining traditional revenue with donations — to finance quality journalism. But as the Harper’s situation shows, no publishing model is immune to change — especially when one influential person runs the place."

Our conclusion: for now, even though elements of Harper's magazine's crisis may be unique, the future of it is the same as most: uncertain.

Comments

[pita bread]

I am sorry to hear that but there is still some hope. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Harper Magazine.