FHM magazine to cease production – May cover-date issue will be the last print edition
ACP Magazines has announced it will produce the final print edition of Australian men’s monthly magazine, FHM. The May cover-date issue will be the last print edition while the website issue goes off-sale on May 13th.
ACP Magazines is endeavouring to redeploy employees, however some redundancies are expected.
Says Matthew Stanton, CEO, ACP magazines: “The decision to close a title is never an easy one and FHM is certainly no exception. FHM is a terrific brand but, given the current market conditions, it has been difficult for ACP to make it a commercially viable proposition.”
Launched in Australia by EMAP in 1998, FHM was at the forefront of the ‘lads monthlies’ phenomenon that first exploded in the United Kingdom. Its main rival in Australia was RALPH, launched by ACP Magazines in 1997.
The two titles enjoyed impressive circulation and readership for several years until the arrival of new category entries – most notably the launch of men’s magazines such as Top Gear and Men’s health, steadily eroded both FHM and RALPH’s share of the category.
After acquiring the licence to publish FHM through the acquisition of EMAP Australia in 2008, ACP Magazines refined and repositioned the title as a more upmarket offering – and with great success as the title enjoyed record advertising revenue in its October and November issues that same year.
The shifting tastes of young male readers, and the global economic downturn, forced the closure of RALPH in June 2010, and while FHM has battled on, it has struggled to hold its circulation.
Stanton paid tribute to the FHM team for its ongoing commitment to the brand.
Says Stanton: “The editorial and advertising teams have done a remarkable job putting out a product that is as good, if not better, than the issues produced during FHM’s glory days. What’s more, they have done so in much tougher economic times and in the face
future. They can all hold their heads high, in spite of their obvious and understandable disappointment.”
FHM – now owned by German company, Bauer Media Group China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Romania and the United Kingdom.
1 Comment
I feel sympathy for the FHM team. I could see what they were trying to do but there are 2 very critical factors that ultimately led to the demise of this mag. Firstly, it’s only read by Bogans who really want to see more skin (I believe Picture mag is still in circulation). Secondly, print media is suffering a death by a thousand cuts.