For the first time in its history, the Print Measurement Bureau has released a second readership study for a calendar year.

The PMB 2009 Fall study, released today, follows the PMB 2009 Spring report released in March. The organization, which had previously released survey results every two years, announced in 2008 that it would be moving to a biannual reporting schedule.

“The media industry is moving toward faster, more current data,” said Steve Ferley, president of PMB. “The magazine industry, buyers and sellers, decided that PMB had to keep abreast of those trends. People know we produce reliable data, but it needs to be more frequent.”

The fall study reveals a magazine industry that has made modest gains in readership despite an economy in decline and the rapid evolution of the media landscape. The average readership (based on total audience, age 12+) of all 114 publications included in the study was 1.05 million, up slightly from 1.03 million in the spring.

The average number of readers per copy fell off slightly, decreasing from 4.9 to 4.8–although readers spent an average of 41.3 minutes with magazines, up from 40.4 minutes in the spring.

The number of occasions Canadians looked into a magazine held steady at 2.2, as did readers’ reported level of interest in magazines, which remained at 6.8 on PMB’s 10-point scale.

For major publishers, the results were mixed. Within the Rogers Publishing stable, Canadian Business added 18,000 readers for a total of 1.05 million, Profit improved to 309,000 readers from 306,000 and the French-language Châtelaine jumped from 895,000 readers to 938,000. However, total readership for Maclean’s fell from 2.41 million to 2.34 million, and readership for the English Chatelaine totalled 3.55 million, a loss of 219,000.

Transcontinental Media suffered readership declines for several major titles, including Canadian Living (159,000 fewer readers, to 3.80 million) and Style At Home (-108,000 to 1.49 million). The company’s Affaires Plus did, however, enjoy an increase of 22,000 readers for a total of 292,000.

Toronto-based St. Joseph Media, meanwhile, saw declines in total readership of its Toronto Life (-18,000) and Fashion Magazine (-106,000) brands.

Despite a decline of 141,000 from the spring report, Readers Digest remains the number one magazine in the country with total readership of 6.42 million.

The study also included several commuter dailies and free city weeklies, many of which performed well in comparison to PMB’s spring report. Metro Toronto (+45,000 readers), Metro Vancouver (+9,000) and 24 Heures Montreal (+14,000) all experienced a boost in readership, while Toronto’s Now Magazine added 50,000 readers for a total of 371,000.

Ferley said that overall, the results suggest that advertisers can still rely on magazines to deliver audiences.

“In the midst of all the major changes on the media scene, readership is staying relatively constant,” said Ferley.

While PMB’s topline results paint a general picture of the industry, representatives of the media industry have in the past voiced skepticism about the organization’s use of 12+ readership, claiming that such a broad demographic range is of little value to planners and buyers.

The PMB 2009 Fall study is based on a 24-month survey period that concluded in mid-2009.