 Woman's Day magazine from 2014 | |
| Editor | Joshua Joynes |
|---|---|
| Categories | Women's magazine |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Circulation | 320,398 (July – September 2014)[1] |
| Publisher | Are Media[2] |
| Founded | 1948; 78 years ago (1948) |
| First issue | 16 August 1948 |
| Company | Are Media[2] |
| Country | Australia |
| Based in | Sydney |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0043-7328 |
Woman's Day is an Australianwomen's magazine published byAre Media.[2] It is one of Australia's most widely read weekly magazines as of June 2023.[1][3][4]
Woman's Day, in Australia, was founded on August 16, 1948. The magazine focused on celebrity stories, fashion trends, creative cooking, advice, fiction, medical tips and current events. The first cover was artwork featuring a child offering up a pinkhyacinth snipped from her mother's favorite pot plant, sending a message to readers to "come and join the fun".[5]
In 1950 the magazine gainedAlice Mabel Jackson, previously employed byThe Australian Women's Weekly, as an editor. Jackson moved toMelbourne to take on this role.[6]
Originally printed and published by Joseph Swanson Wilkinson ofToorak, Victoria for Cologravure Publications(The Herald & Weekly Times Limited),[7] the magazine subsequently became part ofACP Magazines. ACP Magazines was owned byNine Entertainment Co, which owns Australiantelevision networkNine Network. Because of this,Woman's Day often featured many stories either based on or in partnership with a Nine Network program, such asA Current Affair. The magazine became part ofBauer Media Group in 2012,[8] after Nine Entertainment Co experienced financial difficulties.Woman's Day is published weekly by Bauer Media Pty Limited and is headquartered inSydney.[9]
Aimed at women aged 25 to 54,[10] it includes news, gossip, interviews,lifestyle andrecipes.
Sales figures, readership and advertising revenue have fallen significantly, down from 405,000 weekly sales in 2010 to 330,000 in March 2014.[11] Readership fell another 14.6% in the year ended 2014.[12]
In early April 2020, Bauer Media Australia announced that it would be closingWoman's Day as well as several Australian and New Zealand brands includingThe Australian Women's Weekly andNew Zealand Woman's Weekly in response to the economic downturn caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand.[13][14][15]
On June 17, 2020, Australian investment company Mercury Capital acquiredWoman's Day as part of its purchase of Bauer Media's Australian and New Zealand assets.[16][17]
In late September 2020, Mercury Capital rebranded Bauer Media asAre Media.[18][2]
In 2007, the magazine settled out of court withNew Zealand television presenterCharlotte Dawson, who had sued the magazine over its coverage of her divorce.[19]
The magazine underwent significant layoffs in 2008.[20]
In November 2013,Woman's Day came under fire from its readers after a story featuringKate Middleton, theDuchess of Cambridge, took issue with her appearance by comparing a photo of her before having her baby and after with the headline "What's happened to Kate?" Criticism suggested that women who have just had a baby often look tired, and she was not wearing makeup in the second image like she was in the first.[21]
In 2014, television presenterGrant Denyer began legal proceedings against the magazine after it claimed he and his wife were in a rehab facility inThailand formethamphetamine addiction. Denyer claimed they had visited a rehab facility, but it was not for drug issues, and reaffirmed they did not have a drug addiction. The magazine backed the story saying Denyer's friends were their sources for the story.[22]
In 2014,Woman's Day was criticized on theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation'sMedia Watch, in which it was described as "garbage journalism" for the use ofsensationalist headlines and content.[23]