Bye Bye Mother & Baby

I have very sad news. It looks like this will be the final month my articles will be appearing in Mother & Baby magazine. MediaCorp Publishing is closing their Malaysian arm at the end of this month, as reported by Marketing-Interactive.com.

The editor informs me that the decision was brought on by the current economic recession, and it's not just M&B that's folding. MediaCorp Publishing Malaysia also runs local versions of Style and FHM magazines, among other titles.

The report above states that some of MediaCorp Publishing's editorial staff will likely be absorbed by Measat, who are taking up Style and FHM. The non-editorial staffers, however, will sadly be out of a job once the company shuts down. I wish them all the very best of luck in these difficult times.

It seems, it's not just local mags that are suffering. Recent reports indicate that Reader's Digest is fearing for the future, as it faces a bankruptcy filing. Brandrepublic.com reports that in January, the New York-based company announced it was slashing around 8% of its 3,500-strong workforce in a move designed to strengthen its finances as the recession took hold.

According to its website, Reader's Digest was first published in 1922, has offices in 45 countries and publishes 92 magazines. It operates 65 websites and sells 68 million books, music or video products every year. I hope they pull through, I love that mag!