Or, Oprah magazine is wrapping up its monthly print issues with the December 2020 issue after 20 years of publication.
The brand, which is among the most recognized magazines in the United States, will not go away, but it will become more “more digitally focused,” a Hearst spokeswoman said Monday. There will be “some form of printing” after the December issue “but what exactly it is is still being worked out,” she said.
Oprah Winfrey launched O with Hearst in 2000 and today she is the editorial director. “I am proud of this team and what we have delivered to our readers over the past 20 years,” Winfrey said in a statement provided by Hearst. “I look forward to the next step in our evolution.”
Hearst declined to answer why he was launching the regular print edition, saying it was only a “natural next step” for the brand. Magazines have been trying to increase their digital properties as print advertising shrinks and people spend more time online.
The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has further impacted print advertising sales, and research firm Magna in June forecast a 23% drop for US national magazines this year.
On its website, O Magazine says it has a total audience of 10 million, while industry tracker Alliance for Audited Media said the magazine had a total circulation of about 2.3 million in the last six months of 2019.
Hearst, a private company, is in the midst of executive turmoil. Hearst magazine president Troy Young abruptly resigned last week after the New York Times reported on sexist comments. he did at work. Hearst named its chief financial officer, Debi Chirichella, as interim president of Hearst Magazines, which publishes major magazines, including Elle, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, and Good Housekeeping. Other Hearst businesses include local television stations, newspapers, and Fitch rating agency.
Winfrey, meanwhile, is busy with her deal with Apple TV Plus, which Launched in Fall 2019 as one of the new streaming services from tech and entertainment companies with the goal of challenging Netflix for the attention of viewers.
Famous for her long TV talk show that ended in 2011, Winfrey has a new talk show that will debut Thursday on the Apple service called “The Oprah Conversation.” She also has two other series on Apple TV Plus, “Oprah Talks COVID-19” and “Oprah’s Book Club”.
.
