Something to make your Monday more depressing...

The ad page gains/losses for the first half of the year are in and it ain't pretty:

The feared advertising-page collapse strikes hard in June. This follows a weak economic 2007 and an even weaker early-2008 with a cumulative monthly differential not seen since the "upscale recession" in 1991 (after the first Bush Administration's brief "luxury tax") and in the fourth-quarter-2001/first-half-2002 aftermath to the September 11, 2001, attacks.[MinOnline]

June pages are down 11.13%

A bad omen for the women's-fashion magazines as the critical September "Fall Fashion previews" near, and for nearly all in the fourth quarter with its emphasis on holiday-season advertising. Even worse, the timeline ... suggests a "delayed effect," with cumulative ad pages up each quarter last year even after the economy went south. [MinOnline]

Looks like a fun year is in store for magazine folks....although some titles are doing well. The top five increases in ad pages:

1. Woman's Health (32% gain)
2. Successful Farming (18%)
3. SPIN (17%)
4. Everyday with Rachael Ray (15%)
5. House Beautiful (13%)