Print Ads Dead, Google Extends a Hand to Magazines

When Google announced the closure of its print ads program last month, the company swore it’s still committed to helping print rags monetize their online audiences.

It’s now backing up that promise with a little action, announcing it will host a Magazine Publishers of America event geared toward helping magazines grow their digital audiences and revenues. “Magazines 24/7: Google Day NY,” planned for May 14, will also touch on how to sell subscriptions online, a presentation that will no doubt include a pitch for AdWords ads.

Modest as the gesture is, it’s just the sort of outreach the magazine industry is hungry for — and just what the MPA should be offering members whose titles are folding on an almost daily basis. Indeed, some publishers seem to have lost faith in the power of the trade association to staunch the bleeding. AdAge reported today that Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. has dropped its membership as the need to cut costs outweighed the value generated by its dues.