The Magazine Industry's Angel of Death

Talk about defining down success. Jack Kliger, the CEO of Hachette Filipacchi Media, is getting a lifetime achievement award from the Magazine Publishers of America in January, the trade organization announced today.

And what, exactly, has been the nature of Kliger's achievement? Well, since taking over Hachette in 1999, he has folded magazines at a spectacular clip, killing off such notable titles as John F. Kennedy Jr.'s George, Mirabella and Premiere. Other magazines that have gotten the chop during Kliger's tenure include the start-ups Elle Girl, For Me, Shock and Red.

All in all, Hachette's stable of consumer magazines has shrunk from 28 in 1999, according to a press release issued that year, to just 16 now, according to a tally of the titles listed on the company's website.

Of course, Kliger can take credit for a few successes, above all the recent reinvigoration of Elle -- but that is seen by many as sheer luck, a result of the brand's fortuitous partnership with Project Runway (which, as I've noted, only came about because Vogue passed on the show).

Times are hard all over the print business, without a doubt. Still, it'll be interesting to see what the speakers at the MPA dinner find to praise about Kliger's legacy.