DeWitt (& Lila) Wallace's Reader's Digest, world's biggest monthly (circ. more than 10 million), has never taken a line of advertising.* Last week Publisher Wallace announced the end of a 33-year-old policy. Beginning with its April issue, the Reader's Digest will print ads. Its income from readers is not enough to pay postwar costs. Even with book-publishing profits, deficits loomed.
The Digest surveyed its readers to find out whether they would rather have ads in the magazine, or pay more than 25ยข a copy. Answer: take ads.
Digest advertising will be limited to 32 pages an issue the first year, with liquor,...