RIP, The Advocate Print Edition (1967-2012)? (UPDATE)

 No one has confirmed this with me, but Instinct magazine is reporting that the Advocate will cease its print publication at the end of this year. The venerable gay news magazine -- which was born the same year I was -- has been feeling the same pressure that many print titles have felt. After cutting from a bi-monthly to a monthly in January 2009, it then became a supplement to Out magazine -- with no newsstand edition available. Although there is no immediate word on the fate of the mag's online presence, it's my understanding that it's a very successful property. So I will consider this less a death and more a recognition of a new (and inevitable) era. I have a message into Advocate editor in chief Matthew Breen and Out's Aaron Hicklin. Will keep you posted if I hear back.

UPDATE: Matthew Breen just e-mailed to say the Instinct story is "fabrication." (It's also been removed from Instinct's site.) I asked Breen if the story is false like when they told me in October 2009 that the Advocate was not becoming a supplement in Out magazine (and ceasing newsstand distribution), or false as in not true AT ALL. Waiting for his reply.

UPDATE 2: Breen says the report is "patently false." I see no wiggle room, so I guess we will just have to assume Instinct made this story up out of whole cloth -- and ignore what happened with the Advocate's big brother, which just happens to be its only method of distribution. For the record, Breen says the Advocate is still published in-house and his staff are Here Media employees.