Stop Press: TV Guide Halts Print Edition - Who's next?

TV Guide said it will stop the print run for its Canadian edition due to declining circulation, which peaked at around 1 million in 1987 and has now fallen below 250,000.

Clearly, the print version of TV Guide has become less important as people use online or on-screen channel guides.

The decision is only related to TV Guide in Canada, which is published by Transcontinental and will launch a new online magazine next month, perhaps five years too late.

The U.S. publisher, News Corp.'s GemStar-TV Guide, recently relaunched TV Guide in a full-magazine format with a much lower circulation guarantee of 3.2 million, down from 9 million and an overhaul to its business model.

GemStar also ceased publication of its inside TV magazine at the same time, after less than a year.

This raises interesting questions about the disruption of traditional media:

• What other publications are likely facing the same threats as TV Guide: Newspapers, news magazines, Yellow Pages?
• Are other new products and services like YouTube or iPod causing declines in television and radio?
• How much shorter is the expected lifespan for a traditional media property?
• What is the right strategy to detect disruption and to create new growth?
• What are the new services that consumers value and pay for?
• Why are traditional media so slow in adapting to these trends?

Similar developments:

• The L.A. Times just stopped its TV Times distribution on weekends, except on request and halted its national edition of the newspaper in 2004.
• NY Times stopped including stock tables earlier this year, following similar moves by the Chicago Sun Times and others.

In contrast:

• Google profit doubles

**Other Views**
John Battelle asked in 2005 why Yahoo couldn't become the dominant local advertizing venue, replacing the traditional Yellow Pages.  He observed the roll-out of Yahoo Local this year.