Top 25 US newspapers by circulation: America’s largest titles have lost 20% of print sales since Covid-19 hit (pressgazette.co.uk)

Media pundits like to claim that the magazine industry is failing and that print is an antiquated medium. True or not, the “print is dead” drumbeat inevitably taints the perception media buyers have of print as a viable marketing mechanism. Linda Thomas Brooks, president and CEO of the Association of Magazine Media (MPA), argues that this tired rhetoric glosses over the reality, which is that print is one of the most effective ways to deeply engage consumers, build brand awareness, and sell products. During a presentation at DigiPub: Harnessing the Power of Data-Driven Print in November, Brooks shared third-party research on printed magazines, which reveal an alternative narrative. “We learned that magazine media works because it builds brand and sells product at the same time,” said Brooks. Marketers are beginning to reawaken to the value of print as well. The digital revolution made it easier than ever for brands to market directly to consumers, so in the past several years ad spend has gone toward direct marketing tactics, said Brooks. Click Read More below for additional information.

With book banning and legislative attacks on the freedom to read continuing to surge across the country, the American Library Association announced today that it tracked a stunning 1,269 "demands to censor library books and resources" in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago, and nearly double the record-shattering 729 challenges recorded in 2021. In a release, ALA officials said the challenges involved a record 2,571 unique titles—a stunning 38% increase from the 1,858 unique titles targeted for censorship in 2021. Once again, the vast majority of works challenged were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color; 58% of reported challenges targeted works in schools and 41% targeted materials in public libraries.

In a move toward growth, Target has decided to close stores, and a dozen of them at that. The Minneapolis-based Star Tribune first reported on the news Tuesday afternoon. "We have a rigorous process in place to evaluate the performance of every store on an annual basis, closing or relocating underperforming locations as needed," a spokeswoman for the big-box retailer told CNBC. "Typically, a store is closed as a result of seeing several years of decreasing profitability," she added. The 12 stores — spread across states including Michigan, Florida, Illinois and Texas — will close on Feb. 3 of next year. Click Read More below for additional information.