As the days go by, the picture gets clearer. Forecasts are not predicting any sunshine in the near future. This is going to be one hell of a tough year to get through.

Once can already feel the results in the amount of advertising in newspapers and magazines. You can look at how McNabb fondly provides Gulf News' weight with every reference. Property Weekly used to look like a phone book, now reduced to what I can only call 'normal'.

We are already finding out about magazines shutting down. We have had an excess of those, so it is time for the small and ineffective to be gone. Not to be mean, but most will not be missed. Editorials now will make or break a magazine. You can see how brave editorials have become when compared with last year's. It's almost like you're looking at a completely different market. You have to take risks. It's no longer optional.

Another scary sign is the rise of advertorials. You've seen those. You take up a full page ad, followed by an editorial piece by the advertiser. It's almost like magazines are running out of content and/or people that they are simply selling space on their pages, offering little to no content of their own. Desperate? You betcha! Will it work? I seriously doubt it. I would put 0 weight on any advertorial. Readers are not looking to buy anything. So, unless you are offering advice on how they can cut costs, you're wasting your time.

We are going to be seeing a lot of people go, a lot of titles vanish. A few will be missed, but for most, I say, it's about time. We need to have a cleaner and leaner industry to work with.