Castigating both publisher H Bauer and distributor Frontline for sparking a cover price war in the TV listings market, NFRN National President Alan Smith (pictured) said: “Why should I sell a magazine that gives me just 5p? It’s not enough. When you calculate the time and effort involved in selling a magazine, from putting it on display to scanning it, taking the money and giving back change, 5p doesn’t justify the workload involved.
“What’s more I would need to sell three times the number of copies at 20p to make the same amount that I did before this price cutting activity began.
“It’s hardly surprising that some retailers feel they have no choice but to remove TV Choice from their news displays and with fewer retailers willing to stock the titles there is less choice for readers.”
Mr Smith continued: “Frontline and Bauer have got this seriously wrong and need to recognise that they have to move quickly and improve either the price or the margin. We have warned them that they should have stood firm and not entered into a price battle with TV Pick. Their current actions are devaluing the market to the detriment of us all – retailers, consumers and publishers - as buyers of TV listings titles do not buy a second title.”
