Conde Nast kills Golf for Women; will GFW stay alive on the Web?

Despite an increase in circulation of more than 200,000 in the past decade, publishing powerhouse Conde Nast has shut down Golf for Women magazine.

While circulation for the magazine has steadily gained, the magazine had horrific ad sale numbers over the first quarter of 2008 compared to the first quarter of 2007, seeing ad revenue drop 26.4 percent, equating to a loss of nearly $1 million in ad revenue.

GFW’s top editor, Susan K. Reed, has taken a position as editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine.

Women’s Wear Daily reports that Reed’s departure was the main reason for the shutdown:

Upon learning of Reed’s departure, Condé executives considered replacing her, but instead decided to fold the magazine entirely, according to sources.

While this seems in the realm of possibility, it’s hard to imagine that the only prominent magazine focusing on women and golf in the nation would get shut down due the loss of its editor. Surely there must be other competent and talented editors up to the challenge, and one has difficulty in digesting the theory that GFW was basically a vehicle for Reed.

Still, according to the Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast hasn’t given a definitive reason for shutting down GFW, citing simply that the magazine “will not support our long term business objectives.”

It’s also easy to wonder whether GFW did not support Conde Nast’s long-term business objectives, or whether Conde Nast was disinterested in supporting GFW’s existence. With other Conde Nast publications also down in ad revenue (Golf World, for example also was down nearly $1 million), the decision to take GFW off the shelves begs the question of whether or not Conde Nast had much interest in keeping GFW on the shelves or dedication to promoting the brand. Remember, Conde Nast also publishes powerhouse Golf Digest and Golf World, which combine pull in nearly $50 million in ad revenue per quarter. From the outside, cross-marketing would have seemed to have great potential.

It seems impossible to blame the decline in ad revenue on the editorial side of GFW, which had developed a strong online and television presence to go along with a stylish print effort. From Robert Lohrer at Styled to a Tee:

Oddly Golf For Women may never have been stronger editorially. Purchased from women’s publisher Meredith Corp. in 2001, Golf For Women put out its first ever ever style edition in July-August. With Spanish actress Ines Sastre on the cover, it included efforts by Holly Brubach and was tasteful, feminine and reasonably hip. With a few notable exceptions, including Ralph Lauren Polo and adidas, it failed to attract a sizable number of golf sportswear advertisers.

Nevertheless, the publication seemed to be nimbly bridging the digital divide with a robust website and a small group of dedicated bloggers who were able to communicate an immediacy and personality that has largely eluded women’s golf.

The group includes Patricia Hannigan, blogging in The Golf Girl’s Diary, and Ashley Mayo, who contributed to the editor’s blog on the GFW homepage. Other editors had heightened the magazine’s profile by appearing on The Golf Channel, most notably Stina Sternberg in Big Break Ka’anapali.

As for GFW’s online survival, that remains an unanswered question. Kristen Williams, aka “The Golf Chick,” and a former WorldGolf.com columnist, wrote: “My editor from their website still isn’t sure what’s going to happen with their online presence so there could still be some life there.”

In the end, the media narrative on GFW’s demise will read that it was a victim of an overall decline in the magazine industry and of a struggling national economy. Nonetheless, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that the real cause of GFW’s cancellation was due to a decided lack of interest in a women’s golf magazine by the publisher.

–WKW