Axed: Who Killed Australian Magazines?

by Phil Barker

Axed charts the dramatic decline of the magazine industry in Australia from the million-selling highs of the 1990s to the recent round of mergers, closures and mass-redundancies. What went wrong?

Australian magazines once boasted the highest circulation per capita in the world. Former magazine editor Phil Barker follows the story from this golden age to today, showing how mismanagement, unchecked spending and the challenge presented by the rise of the internet all combined to undermine the previously unassailable position magazines held in the Australian consciousness.

Prominent magazine executives and editors who witnessed the industry’s decline and failure to capitalise on digital opportunities have gone on the record for the first time. Featuring in-depth analysis of archival reporting and brand-new interviews with key players, Axed lifts the lid on the scandals behind the industry’s swan dive.

But Phil also talks to the people who have managed to pivot in a fast-moving media landscape and believe magazines are a part of Australia’s future. Are magazines really dead, or is there still some hope for survival?

Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2022

Reviews

[James Margitich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected - it isn’t about any of the magazines I normally read - but an interesting insight into how the industry used to work and is changing as it adapts to new a new era.

[Toni Kely-Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I used to adore magazines and bought Dolly and Girlfriend from 12 years old and then Cosmo and Cleo (which was my favourite) from 16 and finally graduated to Elle, Instyle, etc. in my early 20's. I waited with anticipation for each issue to hit the news stands. This was the 1990's and pre-social media and internet so magazines provided access to fashion, makeup and feature stories that is so readily available online now.

I enjoyed this insight into the magazine world by a former magazine editor, as I knew Australian magazines used to sell more magazines per capita than anywhere else in the world. I had always thought magazines "died" because digital took over - what people had to wait for in magazines (like the Oscars best and worst fashion) were now available in real time and instantaneous. However, Phil Barker provides a broader inside including mismanagement, extravagant spending and executives who knew nothing about the Australian market and how to use their "brands" to capitalise on the rise of the digital age.

The last chapter about print magazines still having a place in our world (like print books vs eBooks) even inspired me to go to my local newsagent and buy some magazines which I haven't done in many years. Reading a magazine that has been curated and edited and has a "start and a finish" is maybe what I will find more fulfilling and relaxing then just scrolling endlessly through an infinity of useless information and just "looking up" a subject I'm interested in online.

[Manda Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who worked parallel to the magazine industry, I find the whole thing fascinating, if ultimately frustrating and sad. The vandalism of magazine journalism by vulture capital groups, as well as certain European publishing companies, will go down in history as a one of the fundamental reasons for the erosion of the free press in Australia, and should be mourned for the irreparable damage they has done.

[Kanako Okiron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating yet terrifying look into the rise and fall of ‘bloids or tabs.