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Changes for ‘Time’ May Mean Good News for ‘Newsweek’

As Time magazine switches gears, becoming a magazine with a focus on analysis with help from big-name commentators, Newsweek may find itself with a near-monopoly on scoops in the news magazine category, writes New York Business.

Time’s move to a Friday pub date, along with its shift in coverage, could signal a shift for Newsweek - one that enables a casual observer to finally tell the two publications apart, according to the article.

“Anything that differentiates the two magazines is great for [Time] and for us,” Newsweek editor Jon Meacham is quoted as saying.
Newsweek, like Time, has been hurt by the internet and cable news. Newsweek’s ad pages were flat last year and down 11 percent in 2005, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. While ad revenue was up slightly in 2006, it was still 4 percent below 2004’s figure.

Newsweek may also be facing a rate base reduction, according to the article. Time recently reduced its rate base by 19 percent, to 3.25 million copies.

Some insiders say that Newsweek may be forced to follow Time’s lead, focusing more on analysis than news and perhaps even changing publication dates if Time’s switch proves successful. Others point out that Newsweek, owned by publicly traded Washington Post Co. - which is in turn closely held by the Graham family - is more insulated from the Wall Street expectations that Time magazine’s parent, Time Warner, is subject to.

Newsweek also got an earlier start online than Time, according to the article, with online ad revenue in the millions of dollars and growing at a rate of 50 percent a year for the past three years.

U.S. News & World Report has been driven by the same challenges facing Time and Newsweek. Its strategy has been to focus more on its franchises, including Best Colleges and Best Hospitals.