‘O: The Oprah Magazine’ May End Its Print Edition But Still Dominates

Reports of the demise of the print edition of O: The Oprah Magazine were premature.

According to the title’s publisher Hearst Magazines, O’s “print expression’ will continue although the company is “evaluating what that will look like beyond the December 2020 issue.” Hearst also says: “This is a natural step for the brand which has grown to an online audience of 8 million.”

“Twenty years ago O, The Oprah Magazine launched as a personal growth guide to help women live their best lives, and as we embark on this next chapter, we will lean into moments that are central to the brand’s DNA and deepen the connection with our loyal readers,” said Lucy Kaylin, O’s editor in chief, in a press release.

According to the New York Post, O’s print edition may appear as a quarterly publication, which is the format Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop magazine used though it only lasted two issues. Hearst also may publish special editions or higher-priced newsstand editions of O, the Post says.

The last two decades haven’t been kind to magazine publishers. Like newspapers, they were forced to ween themselves from print advertising that sustained them for decades as readers and advertisers moved online. ZenithOptimedia and other watchers of the ad market have argued that the coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the decline of print advertising. Magazine ad spending is expected to decline 20 percent this year, ZenithOptimedia says.

O is a joint venture between Hearst and Winfrey’s Harpo Production company. As the Post notes, the title was hugely popular in its early years, selling more than 1 million copies on newsstands. Like other magazines, however, far fewer readers pick up issues of O at retail stores, a huge source of profits for publishers. According to the Alliance for Audited Media, O reported single-copy sales of 228,989 as of December 31, 2019.

Oprah’s magazine reported more than 1 million unique visitors to its website and more than 6 million to its mobile APP as of March. That’s a gain of nearly 200 percent and 628 percent respectively compared with a year earlier, according to the Alliance for Audited Media. 

Magazines associated with lifestyle personalities such as Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray aren’t faring as well as O. Alliance for Audited Media data shows that Martha Stewart Living’s website visitors were 989.000 in March and its mobile traffic at 6.7 million. Hearst’s rival Meredith ended Martha Stewart Weddings’ quarterly print edition in 2018. 

A year later, the Iowa-based company, said Rachael Ray Every Day would cut its publication from 10 times a year to quarterly. Meredith decided last year to transform Fit Pregnancy and Baby magazine from standalone titles to features in Parents magazine.

.