Did you hear?…National Geographic Adventure print magazine shuts down

National Geographic Adventure magazine announced Dec. 3 it has shut down publication of its print edition and let go 17 staffers.

The December-January issue will be the last one printed, although the Adventure website (http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/) will continue, according to an Associated Press report, and there are plans for the National Geographic Adventure brand to produce “books, mobile applications and even occasional newsstand editions,” the AP reported.

“Given the current advertising environment and the opportunities we see in emerging digital platforms, we think the time is right to transition the Adventure brand,” John Griffin, president of National Geographic’s magazine group, said in a statement.

The AP reported that the Adventure’s ad pages “plummeted 44 percent in the first nine months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according to data from the Publishers Information Bureau.”

Folio Magazine reported that an Adventure spokesperson said the closing caused 17 people to be laid off in New York and Washington, and the majority of the layoffs were in the editorial and production departments.

On Dec. 1, Folio reported that The National Geographic Society was quietly shopping Adventure, which had a circulation of 625,000. In that report, Folio quoted a media investment banker as saying, “The challenge of selling it will be the National Geographic name. National Geographic wouldn’t let the buyer use their name, and that’s a big part of the value. The new owner wouldn’t have that stamp of approval.”

For more background on the magazine shutting down, go to www.theadventurelife.org, an excellent blog penned by Steve Casimiro who, until this news broke, was the West Coast Editor for National Geographic Adventure.

–Marcus Woolf