New York, NY (August 9, 2004)--Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the month of July 2004 closed at  $1,356,582,642, an increase of +11% compared to July of last year, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages totaled 15,003.84, closing at +3.1% over July 2003.  Year-to-date, rate-card-reported revenue closed at $11,147,991,751, an increase of +7.8%, with ad pages totaling 123,673.63, registering a +0.8% gain.

Half of the 12 major advertising categories recorded both page and dollar increases in July. Last months increases were led by double-digit page and rate-card-reported revenue gains in the Media & Advertising; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; Home, Furnishings & Supplies; and Public Transportation, Hotels and Resorts. (Twelve categories are the most significant contributors to PIB revenue, comprising approximately 85% of total advertising spending.)

January - July 2004 vs. 2003 (Click here for Magazine Totals)

Year-to-date, five of the 12 major advertising categories saw an increase in both pages and revenue over the same seven-month period in 2003.  The strongest performers were Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; Media & Advertising; Food & Food Products; and Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts.

Magazines third month of sustained growth can be attributed to overall improvement in the economy, as well as consistently strong performances by a number of major ad categories, commented Ellen Oppenheim, Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America.  Financial, Insurance & Real Estate in particular, up for the fifth month, benefited from ads for banks and investment services.  Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts, also an economically sensitive category, saw increases across a range of sectors, including hotel, airlines, cruises and destinations.

Expanded PIB information is available at www.magazine.org/PIB.