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LIFE Magazine Pulled From Newsstands; Makes a Home Online

Read about the end to LIFE magazine in print form. LIFE will move its entire photo collection online.

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March 30, 2007* – The legendary photo magazine**LIFE will be pulled from newsstands, announced Time Inc. this week. LIFE's photo collection, comprised of approximately 10 million images, will be transferred to its website, Life.com. The April 20 issue will be last printed version of LIFE.

"LIFE magazine was a truly innovative publishing venture. It was developed, edited and published by some of the best talent in the business and we can remain proud of its many achievements," said Time CEO Ann Moore in a March 26 press release. "But sometimes we have to make tough calls, and this was one.'

The revolutionary photo magazine that gave rise to many famed photographers, including Alfred Eisenstaedt, Margaret Bourke-White, and Gordon Parks, has a cycling history of shut downs and revivals. LIFE was launched in 1936 and closed in 1972. The magazine was then revived in 1978 as a monthly publication and shut down in 2000. In 2004, LIFE was re-launched in its current form as a weekly newspaper supplement that is included in 103 newspapers nationwide with a circulation of 13 million readers, according to the release.

"Growth requires taking risks, and the potential upside was huge, but unfortunately the timing worked against us," said Moore. "The market has moved dramatically since October 2004, and it is no longer appropriate to continue publication of LIFE as a newspaper supplement."

With the end of the print edition, Time will cut 15 editorial employees and 27 jobs in the business sector, according to a March 26 Reuters report.

As part of the magazine move-over, Time Inc. plans to put LIFE’s entire photo collection online. The iconic images of the 20th century will be available to the public at no cost for personal use, according to the release. The online archive will also include work never before seen by the public.

LIFE will continue to publish photo books, which are due out later this year.

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