Simmons Market Research is releasing its latest magazine readership study on Thursday and for the first time it will be based on the so-called "recent read" research rather than the more time-consuming "through the book" research.
Simmons has come under fire from some magazine researchers because of its methods and costs, prompting Hearst and Conde Nast to abandon Simmons. Now some of the rebellious titles are coming back; two Hearst titles, Cosmopolitan and Redbook, have signed up for this year's reports, and so have three Conde Nast titles, Glamour, Vanity Fair and Bon Appetit. The New Yorker is also back on board.
Rival Mediamark Research, which has always used the "recent read" method, releases its reports on Monday.
