Popular men’s magazine Esquire has quietly trimmed its print edition to six per year — down from eight, Media Ink has learned.
Last year, the once-mighty monthly had dropped its print frequency from 10 to eight issues amid an industry-wide slump in ad sales as the internet continues to steal eyeballs.
Troy Young, president of Esquire owner Hearst Magazines, said the reduction is not coronavirus-related, and that he plans to put more money into the digital side of the publication, which last May elevated digital editor Michael Sebastian to be the new editor-in-chief, replacing Jay Fielden.
“We made the decision a while back,” Young texted, “improve print quality at lower frequency.”
Hearst’s investments in Esquire will be targeted at “video and digital,” Young said.