Oprah's O Mag to End Regular Print Editions after 20 Years

Oprah Winfrey. (AP)
Oprah Winfrey. (AP)
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Oprah's O Mag to End Regular Print Editions after 20 Years

Oprah Winfrey. (AP)
Oprah Winfrey. (AP)

O, The Oprah Magazine is ending its regular monthly print editions with the December 2020 issue after 20 years of publication.

The brand, which is among the most recognizable magazines in the US, is not going away but will become more "more digitally-centric," said a Hearst spokeswoman Monday. There will be "some form of print" after the December issue "but what it is exactly is still being worked out."

Oprah Winfrey launched O with Hearst in 2000 and today is the editorial director. "I’m proud of this team and what we have delivered to our readers over the past 20 years," she said in a statement provided by Hearst. "I look forward to the next step in our evolution."

Hearst declined to answer why they were dropping the regular print edition, saying only it was a "natural next step" for the brand. Magazines have been trying to grow their digital properties as print advertising shrinks and people spend more time online.

The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has further hurt print advertising sales, with research firm Magna in June predicting a 23% drop for US national magazines this year.

On its website, O Magazine says it has a total audience of 10 million, while industry tracker Alliance for Audited Media said the magazine had a total circulation of about 2.3 million as of the last six months of 2019.

Hearst, a private company, is in the midst of executive turmoil. The president of Hearst Magazines, Troy Young, resigned abruptly last week after the New York Times reported on sexist comments he made at work.

Hearst named its CFO, Debi Chirichella, as acting president of Hearst Magazines, which publishes major magazines including Elle, Esquire, Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping. Hearst's other businesses include local TV stations, newspapers and ratings agency Fitch.



BTS Member Suga Discharged from South Korean Military Service

 K-pop boy band BTS member Suga attends Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 in Seoul, South Korea, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)
K-pop boy band BTS member Suga attends Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 in Seoul, South Korea, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)
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BTS Member Suga Discharged from South Korean Military Service

 K-pop boy band BTS member Suga attends Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 in Seoul, South Korea, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)
K-pop boy band BTS member Suga attends Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 in Seoul, South Korea, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)

K-pop group BTS member Suga was discharged from the South Korean military on Saturday, the seventh and final member to complete the country's mandatory national service amid expectations of the band's comeback from a hiatus.

Suga finished his military tenure as a social service agent on Saturday with little fanfare as fans looked forward to his reunion with the rest of the band, a K-pop sensation since it started up in 2013.

"We confirm that Suga effectively completed his alternative service on June 18 by using his remaining leave. His official discharge date is June 21," BTS' label, Big Hit Music, said in a statement.

Unlike with his BTS bandmates, there was no public event planned to mark Suga's release because of overcrowding concerns.

The seven members of the group put their global music careers on hold in 2022 to begin their military service, starting with Jin in December that year. South Korea's mandatory national service can be for terms of up to 18 months.

Shortly after his official discharge, Suga posted a message on fan community platform Weverse, saying he was "sorry for the disappointment and concern caused by what happened last year", and also apologizing to his bandmates.

Last year, Suga was fined 15 million won ($11,500) by a court for drunk driving while on an electric scooter.

The group is expected to hold its largest-ever world tour in 2026, an NH Securities entertainment analyst said in a report.

Entertainment group HYBE, which manages BTS, is closely monitored by securities companies.

Details of a reunion have not been released.