<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Kremmen:
I don't understand how any magazines in the USA make money. I currently have a 12-month free subscription to Conde Nast Traveler and a 2-month free subscription to Travel & Leisure going to a friend's US address.
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Advertising, advertising, advertising.
Magazines base their ad rates on circulation. The higher the latter, the higher the former. Free subscriptions increase circulation, thereby justifying higher ad rates.
When you consider that many higher-end magazines have ad rates in excess of $150,000 per
page, (C.N. Traveler's is $59,000) they might as well give the magazine away rather than bothering with a $50 subscription.