Gossip magazines report circulation losses

CHICAGO, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Circulation of celebrity-focused magazines fell sharply, indicating paying readers are skipping the scuttlebutt on the glamorous, one indicator reported.

Audit Bureau of Circulations reported many of the magazines that had relied on the public's interest in Hollywood's latest gossip saw circulation numbers plunge during the second half of 2008, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

Compared with the same period in 2007, Life & Style Weekly's circulation fell 30.7 percent, In Touch Weekly readers dropped 29.3 percent, the National Enquirer was down 11.2 percent, and Star sustained a 10.3 percent decline, the Tribune reported.

Other magazines reported smaller losses in readership, notably OK! Weekly, with a 2.7 percent loss, and Us Weekly, reporting a 1.3 percent dip. People magazine, meanwhile, reported a 2 percent increase.