Blender Magazine Shutting Down Print Version

Blender Magazine is a music and entertainment magazine.  With so many alternatives available online, the company has no choice but to shut down their print publication.  Blender.com will be maintained by the parent company Alpha Media Group.

“We went as far as we could in a difficult environment,” stated Nora Haynes, a spokeswoman for Alpha.  About 30 people will be stepping down as a result of the print shutdown.

Another Alpha company Maxim magazine will be combined with Maxim.com.  This means that there will be staff changes there too.  Editor in Chief at Blender Joe Levy will become editor in chief at the combined Maxim and Maxim.com.  Current editor in chief at Maxim Digital Jay Woodruff will become chief content officer of the whole operation.

Blender has been in print since 2001 and it features music reviews and a column called “greatest songs ever.”  The advertisements on Blender fell 31% in 2008 to 522 pages.

Even Condé Nast had to shut down a couple of publications.  Domino and Country Home from Meredith both ended their print publications.

Alpha Media Group used to be called Dennis Publishing before a private equity firm bought them out.  Stuff magazine was folded into Maxim after the buy-out.

[via NYT]

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