Northbrook, IL — There is seemingly no relief in sight for consumer magazines, judging by the abysmal first-quarter figures recently released by the Publishers Information Bureau. According to the PIB, total ad pages at 218 titles tracked by the organization fell from 8.2% to 33,828 in the first quarter of 2012.

Overall, 152 out of 218 titles — or 70% — experienced ad page declines. 86 titles (39% of the total) experienced ad page declines of 10% or more, and 40 titles (18% of the total) experienced ad page declines of 20% or more (the latter category overlaps with the former).

The first-quarter PIB figures reflect the steep decline suffered by the consumer magazine business over the last five years. The total for the first quarter of 2012 — 33,828 — is down 37% from 53,748 in the first quarter of 2007. As more and more consumers migrate on-line, fewer consumers subscribe to print magazines. This has led to most companies allocating more dollars to on-line media every year.