“I see that quite a few people are saying the magazine should never have been open about its targeting, but really, it is not alone in catering for older women,” O'Hara told Bizcommunity.com last night, 15 February 2010.
Femina's apparently imminent closure continues to dominate media headlines and backyard debates, with many readers - mostly under 35 - criticising Media24 for repositioning the publication and giving it away to the ‘has-beens' and the ‘old-fashioned'.
However, O'Hara hit back: “What is wrong with being over 35, or over 40? Attacking this is attacking yourself, ultimately. It's very sad.”
Femina, one of the country's oldest publications, was bought by Media24 from Jane Raphaely's Associated Magazines, and became an editorial force to be reckoned with, winning three Pica awards, an Advantage magazine Merit Award and three internal Media24 Excellence Awards.
But, overpowered by the 2008-2009 global economic meltdown shortly after its 2007 relaunch, it ran out of breath financially and now faces closure.
O'Hara explained: “Femina had the misfortune to land in a recession not very long after its launch and the publishing landscape changed dramatically, which means advertisers were more cautious about spending their money and readers became more selective about which magazines to buy.
“The Media24 board feels the magazine is not going to make money. The woman's glossy market is extremely competitive and although Femina has a clear focus in terms of catering for older women, it is not making enough progress, the board says.
“The reasons? Well, we are assured by management that editorially Femina is a quality product, and further support for this comes from the fact that the relaunched version won Picas in 2008 and 2009.
“Lack of a strong promotional campaign for the new position of Femina back at the relaunch in August 2007 was also a factor. I still meet women who have no idea that Femina is any way different to other women's magazines.”
While some local analysts reject the notion that the internet is wrestling with print for the pole position, O'Hara honestly admitted all magazines are struggling against social networking sites.
“On top of all this, the magazine had a price increase in October last year, which impacted very badly.”
