The Kliger Conundrum

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, August, 2001 by Joe Hagan

That the Pecker rumor is making the rounds is evidence of the frustration some Hachette executives have with a parent company they think refuses to share the mission they have planned for the United States. And this top-down miscommunication--not to mention the wacky financial structures--could hinder the company's ability to compete in a U.S. market where being both aggressive and nimble are key.

And Kliger? He continues to say all the right things about his French masters. "None of the strategies we've executed would have been different, in my opinion, if we were owned by a U.S. company."

THE AD RECESSION HITS HOME
Like rival magazine companies,
Hachette Filipacchi is hurting on
the ad front. While there are a few
bright spots, like Travel Holiday
and Cycle World, all of Hachette's
flagships--Elle, Car and Driver and
Woman's Day--are down.
                                   CIRCULATION  JANUARY-JUNE AD PAGES
                                (2ND HALF '00)                   2001
American Photo                         255,971                  142.5
Boating                                200,165                  839.7
Car and Driver                       1,402,657                  504.6
Car Stereo Review's Mobile
  Entertainment                         98,883                     NA
Cycle World                            317,613                  592.3
Elle                                   945,897                  932.0
Elle Decor                             467,367                  525.0
Flying                                 313,246                  394.8
Home                                 1,020,938                  410.0
Metropolitan Home                      604,670                  329.3
Popular Photography                    454,122                1,027.9
Premiere                               612,952                  206.4
Road & Track                           771,024                  539.4
Showboats International                     NA                  437.8
Stereo Review's Sound & Vision         454,317                  350.1
Travel Holiday                         653,224                  473.5
Woman's Day                          4,244,383                  815.7
                                   2000   % CHG
American Photo                    139.1    2.5%
Boating                           934.0  -10.1%
Car and Driver                    606.0  -16.7%
Car Stereo Review's Mobile
  Entertainment                      NA      NA
Cycle World                       532.7   11.2%
Elle                            1,010.2   -7.7%
Elle Decor                        545.8   -3.8%
Flying                            433.2   -8.9%
Home                              517.9  -20.8%
Metropolitan Home                 326.7    0.8%
Popular Photography             1,110.6   -7.5%
Premiere                          309.6  -33.4%
Road & Track                      577.2   -6.6%
Showboats International           411.7    6.3%
Stereo Review's Sound & Vision    373.7   -6.3%
Travel Holiday                    360.9   31.2%
Woman's Day                       870.1   -6.3%
SOURCE: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS AND
PUBLISHERS INFORMATION BUREAU