Maybe the tastes of American consumers are not as base as cultural doomsayers would have us think—Hachette Filipacchi Magazines is closing Shock, the photo magazine devoted to images of mangled limbs, infected wounds, hairy tumors, and celebrity nip-slips. Merry Christmas, staffers!
"After six months in the marketplace, Shock's performance at newsstands has not produced trends that indicate that we will get the returns that we are looking for," said Hachette's CEO, Jack Kliger, in a statement. Print publication ceases with the February issue, but the title's website, ShockU.com, will live on. According to the release, its average of 41 page views per visitor session is the highest of any site owned by Hachette (whose other titles include Elle, Premiere and Car & Driver.