Computer magazine PCM closes

Computer magazine PCM closes. Personal Computer Magazine was one of the oldest tech magazines in the Netherlands, but publisher Reshift pulls the plug because delivery and printing costs have risen too much. Subscribers will receive ComputerTotaal for the time being.

PCM is now no longer for sale in publisher Reshift’s online store. Subscribers can also no longer take out a new subscription. Publisher Remco de Graaf confirms to Tweakers that PCM will indeed stop. “We have been considering this scenario for years. The moment has been accelerated by the rising prices of raw materials such as paper and increasing production and shipping costs,” he says. In addition, Reshift generally wants to focus more on buying advice via price comparison site Kieskeurig and a future new title that fits in with this. Became picky in 2018 taken over by Reshift.

Existing subscribers of PCM will be transferred for the remainder of their subscription period to a subscription to ComputerTotaal, which is also published by Reshift. Like PCM, ComputerTotaal is published 11 times a year and an annual subscription costs 85 euros, slightly less than the 87.50 euros for a subscription to PCM. They can also choose ‘another solution with customer service’.

Personal Computer Magazine is one of the oldest and last surviving computer magazines on the Dutch and Belgian magazine market. The magazine appeared for the first time in 1983 under publisher VNU, of which Tweakers was also a part from 2006 to 2012. In 2007 the magazine was taken over by HUB Publishers from Haarlem. That went bankrupt in 2013 and made a restart as Reshift Digital. In addition to PCM, it also publishes Computer Idee and ComputerTotaal.

PCM’s subscribers, like many other magazines, had been declining for years. The target group also aged. At its peak, PCM had 400,000 subscribers, but that is now much lower. “As a media company, we naturally think it’s a great pity that this icon is disappearing from Dutch computer history, but we don’t close our eyes to reality either,” says De Graaf. “The traditional tech domain is changing rapidly. Technology is no longer a toy for the computer hobbyist. The need for information about the domain ‘computer’ is decreasing, the classic target group is shrinking, while new target groups are emerging with a clear need for meaningful information about technology. “