NME: Some signs of life

The slump in NME's readership has been stopped, to sighs of relief at King's Reach Tower. Although a small increase - 2.7% year on year - the nudge of ciculation back to 72,000 suggests that maybe the formula of glossy cover, smaller format and briefer articles may have given the fifty year old a future. An upturn in rock bands worth reading about can't have hurt, either.

Kerrang, however, firmed up its position as the World's Best Selling Rock Weekly with just a snip under 84,000 readers (60% up on a year ago.) The other metal/rock titles all posted healthy increases. But it's Q which must now adopt the title 'The sick man of the newstand' - while labelmate Mojo grew its readership, Q has lost one in ten of its readers since last year.

In other segments, the Popbitch regime at the Face (and its ludicrous attempts to seem hip by writing about the trend-before-last as if they were new - guys, scouse girls have been wearing pyjamas as day wear since '99; even the Liverpool Echo has managed to cover that) is facing a huge struggle - another 6% down this quarter; 13% down on the year, and getting dangerously close to the all important 50,000 level. Smash Hits and Top of the Pops are down as well.

NME up, Kerrang up more [MediaGuardian] - TVTimes/NME merger put back to 2003...