Read more about the consequences of advertising: Remove Ads for More Money, Health. Also, are you curious how much advertising is in Wired Magazine?

Today, I opened my mail and found – to my surprise – a brand new copy of Fortune Magazine. The July issue features a cover story on LinkedIn. As I began to leaf through this free subscription, I quickly realized why they were giving it away.

Advertising is the only thing keeping most news and media outlets alive. Subscription rates – at least to hardcopy products – have plummeted. Much like free newspapers rely on local advertisers to pay for the difference, Fortune Magazine and periodicals like this are inserting more advertising space than ever. By giving away subscriptions, they can inflate their readership and draw in more exclusive advertising. The result is a heinous excuse for a magazine.

Without covers (back/front), Fortune Magazine is 108 pages long.

46 pages are dedicated ads (not including partials).

The magazine is 43 percent advertising.

Being exposed to this amount of advertising can be dire to a frugal budget. Sometimes removing exposure to these sources can help.