The Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest will cease publication next spring, The Globe and Mail reports.
The small-format magazine, which has been around for more than 75 years, was once the most widely read in the country. Last April, the publication’s management still boasted of having three million readers per month. Its circulation is nearly 500,000 copies for each of its ten annual publications.
The latest edition will be printed on March 31. According to The Globe and Mail, the group’s decision is justified by “falling advertising revenues, rising production and delivery costs and changing reading habits.”
After March 31, the various websites of the publication, owned by the American company Trusted Media Brands, will continue to be powered “for a certain period of time” thanks to the support of American employees.
Last month, the publication’s Montreal office announced the elimination of 10 positions effective January 1, 2024 in a notice published by the Ministry of Labor.
Reader’s Digest Selection remains an iconic magazine in Quebec. There are health and scientific sections, but also cultural sections, practical information and numerous stories in the form of testimonials, without forgetting the famous humorous page “Let’s laugh a little”.
This announcement comes in the midst of a media crisis grappling with similar problems. This week, CBC/Radio-Canada announced the elimination of 800 positions, while at TVA, 547 positions were eliminated. Not to mention the job losses at the Information Coops and the closure of the daily Métro.
All this against the backdrop of a standoff with Meta, which is blocking the dissemination of news on its platforms for not complying with the Online News Law which is due to come into force on December 19.
