The Press: Trouble for Cosmopolitan

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Ever since the end of World War II, Hearst's Cosmopolitan (66 years old last July) has been heading for trouble. From 1947, when it took in $5,880,770 in ads, it dropped last year to barely $2,700,000. Furthermore, it fell below (by 221,000) its guarantee to advertisers of 2,000,000 circulation, and recently it has been losing readers at the rate of 9,000 a month. To try to check the loss, Cosmo reshuffled its format, ran pictures on its cover instead of drawings, went after more sensational stories and articles, and had a series of staff changes.

Last week Cosmo announced a drastic remedy to cut costs and get on its feet. Publisher Harry M. Dunlap slashed its 14-man advertising sales staff, abolished mail subscriptions, pared soliciting of ads to the bone, and cut its ad rate from $5,000 a page to $2,100. Cosmo will concentrate on newsstand sales, hopes to boost them. Its new circulation guarantee: only 700,000.