End of An Era: Reader's Digest Uk Ends Publication After 86 Years

The UK edition of  one of the oldest and highly popular magazines, Reader's Digest has closed its doors after 86 years in publication.

 The monthly general interest magazine, whose first copy came out in 1922,  was the brainchild of  American publisher, DeWitt Wallace and his wife, Lila Bell Wallace who also served as its first editors in chief. Beginning in the United States, Reader's Digest went on to have several international editions and then braille, audio and digital formats; its popularity spreading worldwide. Besides celebrity interviews, Reader's Digest contained human interest articles, book excerpts, jokes, food  recipes, financial advice and wellness tips. The UK edition  was first launched in 1938. 

1938 Reader's Digest UK

So what went wrong???

Well, RD is ending publication  due to the "unforgiving magazine publishing landscape" and the company's inability to withstand the financial pressures. The magazine's readership had declined sharply in subsequent years, recently  dropping to under 200,000 copies. 

The editor-in-chief, Eva Mackevic, who made the announcement on RD's website, cited the "relentless change" in the media industry and the need for companies to "continuously seek out and implement innovations" to survive.

It's definitely the end of an era!