The sinking newsstand sales that have magnified the magazine industry's recent pain continued in the second half of 2009, though the declines eased slightly, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Single-copy sales declined 9.1% at the 472 publications reporting to the ABC. Those results follow 18 months during which newsstand sales tumbled at a quickening pace—6.3% in the first half of 2008, 11% in the second half of 2008 and 12% in the first half of last year.

Ken Godshall, executive vice president of consumer marketing at the Magazine Publishers of America, said he was "encouraged" by the slowing declines. "Hopefully we've turned the corner," he said.

Single-copy sales typically account for a small percentage of circulation, though it is considered the best measure of a magazine's consumer appeal because it can't be artificially inflated. The balance of a magazine's circulation comes mostly from subscriptions, which often are sold at a deep discount, and copies distributed free.

The newsweeklies and business titles were hit particularly hard on the newsstand in the second half of 2009, with Newsweek falling 41%, Time declining 35% and the Economist down 24%. Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fortune and SmartMoney posted percentage declines in the mid-20s. The automotive category also took a hit, as Road & Track and Car and Driver magazines fell 34% and 24%, respectively.