CMP closing Windows Magazine

CMP, which was recently purchased by United News & Media, said the company had seen a 23 percent decline in advertisement during the first five months of the year. Windows Magazine will continue to publish an online edition, which will feature news and software downloads for Microsoft Windows users.

The August edition of Windows Magazine will be the last issue.

The nine-year-old magazine currently has about 45 employees. The total will dwindle to less than 20 when the magazine becomes an online-only publication, said Pam Watkins, CMP's publishing director.

Part of the reason for today's decision is that readers are now less interested in the desktop market and more interested in a networked, server-centric environment, Watkins said.

"More and more people are going online to get information and we wanted to redirect our resources," Watkins said. "Our view is the marketplace for the desktop market has become less central to our reader's information needs."

Windows Magazine was CMP's lone remaining paid subscription magazine available in newstands.

One employee said he was not concerned about finding a new job. He said he believes CMP will only keep about seven employees and will try to find jobs for the remaining employees at other CMP publications as well as at United's subsidiary, Miller-Freeman.

The employee said he received a five-figure bonus last week for staying at CMP after the United purchase. CMP has also promised a minimum of eight weeks' pay as part of its severance package, he said.

"The job market is good, plus we get a generous severance package," he said. "No one is going to starve."

Watkins declined to state whether CMP plans more changes. "We're working on our product portfolio. But I'm not aware of any other announcements," she said.

During the past 13 months, CMP has shut down several publications, including LANTimes and Byte magazine.