Gay Times Ends Print Edition After Nearly Five Decades
September 21, 2021Iconic LGBTQ+ magazine Gay Times has announced it will no longer be in print, moving to fully digital delivery in the future.
The British magazine had dropped from being a monthly magazine to just four editions a year, but now they’re stopping the presses for good, which will allow them to create more content online.
In an announcement to readers, the publication said only 2% of its total audience were consuming their product in its physical format, and the future lay in digital delivery.
The magazine’s current publication launched in 1984, but its predecessors date back nearly 50 years. During its time in print, the magazine has covered major changes in British politics and queer life including the early days of the Gay Liberation Front, to the repeal of Section 28, and throughout the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“We have been a vital resource for LGBTQ+ people during periods of dangerous misinformation and violent rhetoric,” the publishers said, reflecting on their decades of coverage to date.
Moving forward, the magazine will be created solely in a digital format but will return to its former schedule of 12 issues a year.
Gay Times said their decision was based around environmental concern and consumer demand. The publishers said that digital delivery also gives greater insight into what people want to read and engage with.
In February 2019, OUTinPerth discontinued print offering after 210 monthly issues that began in 2002. For 18 years, 10,000 copies of the print edition of OUTinPerth were distributed each month. Since moving to a web based delivery, the publication has seen substantial audience growth.
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