I was the senior writer at PC Magazine from 1993 to 1998 and remember the days when the magazine actually turned away advertising because the printer couldn't physically fit any more pages into the magazine. The dull thud of a 500-plus-page edition of PC Magazine hitting the bottom of a mailbox has been a distant memory as more recent editions have struggled to stay above 100 pages.
While PC Magazine will apparently continue on the Web, it's indeed the end of an era.
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I worked at Ziff Davis in the late '90s, when innovation was the watchword and most of its magazines were like phone books they were so thick with ads. It's sad that those days are long gone. But change is necessary for survival, as most newspaper publishers have only realized recently. Maybe Ziff can recapture a piece of its former glory online.
Don't worry, subscribers. PC Magazine is not being discontinued. Beginning with the February 2009 issue, PC Magazine will become a 100-percent digital publication. Current subscriptions will continue to be fulfilled with the digital edition (which is powered by Zinio.com)
The digital version of PC Magazine will look exactly like the PC Magazine you're already familiar with. It's got a the same cover, the same articles, and "The Best Stuff" is still the last page that you will "flip" to. It's even got an interactive table of contents. It's searchable, printable, Green, and portable.
Instead of arriving at your door, it arrives in your email. You can choose to read it offline or online with just 1 click. In the future, it will even have rich media so you can see videos and slideshows.
You're going to love it. If you're not yet a subscriber, you can even find a free trial edition of PC Magazine Digital Edition at this link: http://www.zinio.com/pcmagtrial.
For current subscribers, if PC Magazine already has your email address, you don't have to do a thing. The digital edition will begin arriving in your email inbox. If PC Magazine doesn't have your e-mail address, please visit their customer service Web site (http://go.pcmag.com/subscriberservices) and follow the instructions.
My calendar says that today is the 21st of February (2009) and, so far as I can tell, the February 2009 digital edition of PC Magazine still does not exist. I had contemplated canceling by paid subscription when the printed edition ended (can't wait for them to try an automatic renewal). I've inquired several times to their customer service and they respond that the digital edition is "slightly delayed." Someone stick a fork in it.
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