The Audit Bureau of Circulation noted that the ongoing drumbeat of disappointment continued in the first half of this year, as newsstand sales fell 5.6%. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the sales decline had "moderated."

It's a sure sign of bad news when a nearly 6% drop can be described in faintly optimistic tones. In total, circulation slipped 2.3% for the period. Magazine publishers and editors can't rest on the good news of BusinessWeek's sale to Bloomberg and Washington Post Co.'s  sale of Newsweek to stereo magnate Sidney Harman.

Both Bloomberg and Harman pledged to pour money into the properties as a way to give them new life.

That's terrific -- and encouraging, if it will mean that the industry can keep counting these two venerable titles in its ranks. But the new owners can't save the entire beleaguered industry, can they? The optimism must spring from the publishers, who need to find new and daring ways to maximize the Internet, which is where publishing's future lies.

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