Time and Newsweek, old adversaries with a common challenge

The move upstairs for Mark Whitaker, editor of Newsweek magazine for nearly eight years and succession by his deputy and longtime presumptive heir, Jon Meacham, 37 are part of the adjustment that both Newsweek and its crosstown rival Time magazine are going through, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal. They are profitable, but they share a problem. "Both magazines share a common

Salewicz is new ROB magazine editor

The Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine has a new editor, promoted from within (replacing Laas Turnbull, who is now executive vice-president at Brunico): Gary Salewicz has been deputy editor since February 2005, having previously been senior editor at Toronto Life and working at Canadian Art and Canadian Geographic. He's a native of Montreal. Globe editor Edward Greenspon described

Dose's second life online

Dose, the daily magazine that had a short life in print (just a year) at CanWest MediaWorks, but which promised to come back as an online publication, has kept its promise. Media in Canada reports:"The marketing campaign for Dose.ca, launched this week, kicked off with a medical bracelet cover wrap on the September issue of Vice magazine and a reference to the slogan "What didn't kill us, made us

Fun with headlines

We are partial to clever display writing (and suckers for puns and other plays on words), so this week's prize for most wordplay on a single story has to go to Saltscapes in its September-October issue.The Halifax-based magazine has an eye-catching skybar "popcorn stuffed turkey" which is bound to make people turn inside. When they get there, the regular food column, Marie's Menu, has the

But I thought YOU had the money!

"We've been much drunker than this, but the party was so nice that we were lulled into a false sense of security. Everybody was wearing jackets; there was classical music.We didn't think anyone was going to steal our money."-- Editor Keith Gessen of the New York literary magazine n+1, explaining how, sometime during or after a successful fundraiser, somebody absconded with the $3,000 proceeds. (

Verified? Will advertisers say "So what?"

For years, the almighty nature of "paid" circulation, particularly among major U.S. magazines was somewhat inflated by things that counted as paid, but weren't; things like "public place copies" which were neither sponsored nor paid, but found in doctor's offices and places like that. Well, last year, the Audit Bureau of Circulations decreed it would no longer allow such copies to be called "paid

Toronto Star to launch free dowloadable mini-paper in September

The Toronto Star is going to produce a daily afternoon mini-paper available as a dowloadable pdf, following the lead of several European papers, including the Guardian's G24 and the Financial Times. This, according to a story in Media Post. The 8- to 12-page publication will be available at 3:30 every afternoon and can be printed, in colour if available, on standard 81/2 x 11 paper. The launch is

Quote, unquote (but seriously, folks)

mediabistro:What does an "editor-at-large" do?Black: I'm a lot like the Queen of England. It's basically a figurehead position. I get to go to all the Cracked polo matches and balls, but I have no actual power. I'm also like the Queen of England insofar as I wear a tiara and carry a scepter.-- From an interview by media bistro with Michael Ian Black, the new editor of the new Cracked.

More from the librarians

For those of you who liked the inaugural Ask the Librarians column in the blog EmDashes, there's another one (they come out about once a month). As we reported in a post in July, the librarians of the New Yorker answer burning questions of readers such as "Why is there now a Table of Contents?"

Transcon and SAQ start wine quarterly

French language magazines in Quebec that rely on beverage alcohol advertising may soon be suffering the same kind of drought that has been in evidence in Ontario and in Nova Scotia as the government goes into direct competition with them. The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) and Transcontinental Media have announced the launch of CELLIER, a quarterly, bilingual, high-end publication aimed at

Do you bat left or right?

Maybe we don't get out much, but this is new to us. CLB Media of Aurora, a big trade publisher, posted an ad for an advertising sales person on August 24 on the Mastheadonline job board. Included in it (and posted on the CLB website) is a mandatory pre-screening questionnaire.1. What interests you about the Account Representative position and why do you want to work for CLB Media?

Hello! launch bash to be a celeb-heavy benefit for children's charity

Hello! (Canada) Publisher Shelley Middlebrook says that the magazine will officially introduce itself with a big splash Sept. 9 during the Toronto International Film Festival, according to an item in Media in Canada: "There will be a celebrity-heavy launch party at U. of T.'s classy Hart House," says the item, "and the mag is teaming with Alliance Atlantis, Air Canada, the Fairmont Royal York

Warrior cover contest cast a wide net

We checked back in at Warrior magazine to see the result of its cover contest and the winner was from St. Petersburg in Russia. Michael Yarovikov is from Krasnoyarsk Siberia, but now lives in St. Petersburg. "My inspiration was: a little bit Russian poster 20th, a little bit surrealistic thinking, plus music from my player kind of (Animal Collective & Death From Above 1979). Now I

Atlantic Magazine workshops announced

The recently formed Atlantic Magazines Association and the Atlantic Journalism awards will together be holding workshops for the magazine industry -- October 3 in St. John's (for Newfoundland and Labrador) and October 5 in Halifax (for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI). Details of the workshop topics, cost and registration forms can be found at www.atlanticmagazines.ca or by calling 902-425-

Green, but not just any shade of green...

It gives a whole new meaning to greening. You may want to watch for a new magazine called Verdant, though it won't be available on newsstands until next year. The magazine's slogan is Smarter Choices for Better Living.The closest that Canada has to such a thing is the excellent Green Living from Key Publishers, but it is mostly concentrated in the Toronto area (the City of Toronto is one of its

The short, unhappy life of a shopping mag

In the last 18 months, any magazine publishing company that didn't somehow get on the shopping magazine bandwagon was so yesterday. Not at easy as it looks, apparently, as Hearst announced on Friday that it was closing Shop Etc. The deed was done, according to website Jossip.com, because advertisers just weren't that impressed.SHOP Etc.'s staffers learned of their demise in the most Hollywood of

Quote, unquote

"Yes, we’re both print magazines, but we feel like there’s enough of a distinction between the two.”-- Stephen Perretta the vice president and general counsel at MagnaPublishing in Paramus, N.J., publishers of Portfolio , an adult magazine that exclusively features black women and was launched in 1991. He was explaining to Women's Wear Daily why Magna wasn't going to sue Condé Nast for its

Teachers love their high stress jobs

According to a report in the September issue of Professionally Speaking, the magazine published by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT), teachers (at least in Ontario) love their jobs, but suffer stress brought on by time constraints, parent complaints, performance reviews and school politics. Eighty-one per cent of teachers polled in an annual survey carried out by Compas Inc. said they would

Brian Nelson Post Comic-Con Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith catches up with Brian Nelson post Comic-Con for a few more questions

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Economist tolls death knell for newspapers

The Economist is one of the most successful weekly magazines in the world, with a worldwide circulation of 1.1 million; it sells more than 55,000 copies every issue in Canada. It's popular and influential and when it talks about a trend, people listen. So it is (startling/depressing/nerve-wracking) to have this week's one-two punch (a leading article and the feature that backs it up) about the

Is there a softening of support for protective media legislation?

Partway down in a story on the issue of foreign takeovers in Canada in today's Globe and Mail is a short reference to a working paper circulating in Ottawa about loosening up restrictions, even in sensitive areas such as media."...the government documents, obtained by Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin, also argue that Canada should consider further reducing foreign investment restrictions, even in

American university issue on a roll

While Maclean's is struggling with some blowback from Canadian universities about its methodology for its universities issue, the progenitor of the issue -- produced by U.S. News and World Report -- has enjoyed its absolute best year ever. According to Media Post, it had 82 pages of ads -- a 30 percent jump over last year. The title's web site has racked up more online impressions than in any

Subscription offers we love

To celebrate This Magazine's 40th anniversary year, they're offering their subscribers a chance to renew.For just $39 for a 2-year sub. [This's regular price is $24.99/year.]The hook? "Wouldn't it be nice to stay 39 forever?" It's a clever pitch promoting auto-renewal, at a price guaranteed never to increase."And -- if you accept this offer now -- two years later, your renewal price will STILL

Hello! debuts this week

Rogers's Hello! magazine should be appearing on newsstands over the next few days. A story about it appears in the National Post today. Curiously, neither the publisher nor the editor is quoted, although Rogers's vice-president of consumer marketing, Tracey McKinley, is. Most of the story pivots around comments from Bill Shields, the editor of Masthead. Rogers announced last December that it

Time-ing is everything, or is it?

Michael Calderone in the New York Observer called up a bunch of the big shirts at Time Inc. to talk over the decision by Time magazine to move back its deadline, coming out on Fridays instead of Mondays—returning to the schedule established by Time-founder Henry Luce in 1923. It's of particular interest since Maclean's beat Time to the punch by saying that it was moving its deadline back to come

U.S. TV Guide circ plummets 59%

TV Guide in the U.S. saw its circulation plummet by 59% in the latest six-month results from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), as reported in Media Life. This follows a radical makeover in which it moved from a digest-sized book with substantial cut-price "sponsored sales" to a full-size entertainment and celebrity magazine.ABC reported a circulation for the magazine of 3,718,175, a decline

New sector, or same old stuff, with a spin?

Is it hype, or has a British publisher identified a new or untapped sector? And will publishers on this side of the pond imitate it?Magazine publishers are always saying that they are innovators, but somehow following a pack mentality. Hence, the imitative (and unsuccessful) launch of the Weekly Scoop, trying to out-celeb the American competitors. Or Rogers's intended launch of Hello!, producing

U.S. single copy sales down 4%

"In a country where you have 22 magazines telling you about shoes, you know that all 22 magazines can't have a circulation of a million." -- Samir Husni (Mr. Magazine) commenting on the slump revealed by preliminary ABC results on U.S. magazine single copy sales.According to Reuters: "Newsstands sold fewer magazines in the first half of 2006 compared with a year ago, as some markets were

So You Want to Start a Magazine?

Another in a series of very occasional plugs for the two-day weekend workshop at Ryerson University -- So You Want to Start a Magazine? I'm plugging it, because I teach it. Click on the heading above or on the link at the right to find out more. (Feel free to pass this message along to anyone you know who would be interested.) The next session is Friday/Saturday, September 22,23 and the deadline

Reach still achieved by traditional means

The buzz and flurry surrounding digital media does not yet reflect the view of most American adults, according to a story in Ad Age. Most can't say what an RSS feed is; many own I-pods but have never dowloaded a podcast. Most reach is achieved through traditional means, for now."While marketing prognosticators and technophiles rush into the future, raving about the next big content delivery

Watch for BOBBi at an intersection near you

The publishers of UMM (Urban Male Magazine) have published a new magazine, this time aimed at women, according to a story in Media in Canada (published by Strategy magazine).Publisher Abbis Mahmoud rather grandiloquently says Bobbi, his new publication is "the first complete lifestyle and fashion magazine" for Canadian women 17-34 - one whose differences from other such publications begins with

Canadian Family editor in chief Lisa Murphy resigns

Word is that Lisa Murphy, who joined as editor-in-chief to lead the editorial team at St. Joseph's Canadian Family not quite a year ago, has resigned.The mission of the repositioned, revitalized Canadian Family was to take a bite out of Rogers's Today's Parent franchise.[Apparently, we should have noticed this sooner, since the job was posted August 2 on the mastheadonline job board. Missed that.]

Chapters is tops, say shoppers

If you're a trade magazine dealing in retail outlets, or a consumer magazine that's concerned with shopping and retail advertising, the annual Major Market Retail Report (MMRR) study for 2006, carried out by Kubas Consultants is worth paying attention to. It measures the relative performance of over 130 retailers as well as the competitive action in 32 specific product categories by

Balancing act: web now, print later, which stories go where?

From the Wall Street Journal, a discussion of how various weekly magazines (principally news and business, but with some celeb titles) are balancing what they put up immediately on the web and what they hold for their print editions. Advertisers have apparently shown themselves willing to start spending money on the Web, says the story, and magazine companies are hoping to sell package deals to

Prospering magazines run by not-for-profits laughing all the way to the bank

Interesting story in the New York Times about how, when some other categories are hurtin', a couple of unusual magazines are doing very nicely, thank you -- AARP and Consumer Reports. Media columnist Richard Siklos writes: These are not, let it be said, the glitzy magazines that most people normally chat about at cocktail parties or dissect in blogs. Rather, these are solid but quaint titles that

UK lad books drooping in British ABC data

The six-monthly ABC circulation scores for British magazines are out, and a good summary is given in the UK Press Gazette.It was noted that almost all the men's monthlies suffering year-on-year circulation declines, some catastrophic. Dennis-owned Maxim (down 35.8 per cent) suffered most while Emap rival FHM lost just under a quarter of its readers, down 24.9 per cent to 420,688. Stuff, however,

The law of unintended consequences at airport magazine stores

The decision to once again allow duty free sales in airports is good news not only for booze and perfume companies but magazine companies, too, according to an item in mastheadonline (reg req'd). HDS Retail, which operates most of the major airport bookshops and newsstands (Relay etc.) was having a heckuva time after last week's measures kicked in and the duty free shops closed for a time.

The Illusionist Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien about The Illusionist

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Love and rate cards?

A half-hour comedy, Rumours, about the careers, life and loves of a bunch of people putting out a women's gossip magazine in Toronto (!) debuts on CBC Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. According to Playback magazine, Mose Znaimer executive produces and says the show's universal appeal attracted him. The English version is a relatively straight translation of the hugely popular Quebec version, Rumeurs, uses the

Time to come out on Fridays

Maclean's recent decision to change its publication date put it out in front of the wave for current affairs magazines. But not for long. Time has announced that it will be doing the same, according to a story in Folio:As a first step toward its plan to reformulate its print and online products, TIME magazine has shifted its on-sale date from Monday to Friday, effective January 2007. The change,

Waste treatment for advertising?

Apparently there is a book about to be published that explains that 37% of all advertising is wasted and that most people who place advertising or pay for it have no idea what they're doing. According to Ad Age, the book, What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails and How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds, was written by Rex Briggs, a veteran market researcher and founder of the firm Marketing Evolution

Maclean's rankings kerfuffle...why now?

My favourite economist, Zza Zza Gabor is reported to have said: "Darling, when they say it's the principle, not the money...it's the money."Jim Meek has written an interesting column in the Halifax Chronicle Herald that suggests an underlying reason why a clutch of Canadian universities, led by its largest, has now chosen to contest Maclean's magazine's annual university rankings.While the focus

Cracked rises from the dead

Thank goodness for enthusiasts, particularly those with deep pockets. Like the New York lawyer Monty Sarhan who decided to leave the legal profession and acquire and relaunch Cracked magazine. Even he wasn’t convinced at first that it was a good idea, since the magazine had been off the market for two years."I said (at first) ‘Not interested. It’s comics. It’s for little kids,’ " Sarhan recalls.

British Cosmo editor sees Red

Here's a concept, or a phrase describing a concept, that I'd not heard before: "middle youth". It's apparently less than middle age, but older than teen and twenties. That's the descriptor for the target audience of the British magazine Red, published by Hachette Filipacchi. The media conglomerate is crowing about its major coup in scooping the editor of Comsopolitan to come and take Red to

Saskatchewan universities may pile on

You couldn't call it a frenzy, but other Canadian universities are now considering turning their backs on the Maclean's university rankings, according to a story on cbc.ca. The latest include the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan. You can read the earlier blog item here.[UPDATE] Three other important universities are standing by the ratings, at least in a qualified way --

Georgia, on our minds...and on our screens

For those of you out there interested in typography, here is an interesting article with which I just caught up (published last month) on the growing popularity of the Georgia face. You're reading it now, and it is the typeface that has been used in this blog from day one.Alice Rawsthorn of the International Herald Tribune, relates how this very new font (as typefaces go) came to predominate in

Well, that should buy tomorrow's Grande double foam, non-fat latte

Zinio, purveyor of digital magazines, including two Canadian titles, Maclean's ($51.48) and Western Standard (64.84), is providing a fragrant incentive to subscribers: a $5 (presumably U.S.) Starbucks card. It doesn't say that this isn't available to Canadians, so enjoy.

Periodical is old hat: PPE become IPAO

The Periodical Publishers Exchange (PPE), a monthly dinner gathering of independent magazine publishers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), has decided that the word "periodical" is dated and has rebranded itself as the Independent Publishers Association of Ontario (IPAO). (Curiously, the rebranding doesn't include the word "magazine". Apparently this is because one of their members publishes a

Ad agencies having to adjust, too

The changing media scene is affecting not just magazines but the role of the advertising agency, according to a study released last month by the Winterberry Group."Once considered core to the marketing effort (and a trusted counselor to executive decision makers)," said the item in the Centre for Media Reearch newsletter, "the agency has seen its portfolio of responsibilities fundamentally

Public places are effective spaces

80 percent of waiting room readers act on ad or editorial content they see in magazines there, according to a new study released Monday by Time Inc. and Mediaedge:cia. It was reported in Media Post. This study meshes with a 2004 Time Inc. study focusing on doctors' waiting rooms. "They're highly engaged, and they're in an environment where there's less multi-tasking going on and less

ABC stacks up the numbers

As a result of recent rules changes, business to business magazines can now offer a "Total Audience Reach" circulation report to clients, with the imprimatur of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. This is a cumulative number, stacking together requested, paid, passalong, newsletter and website traffic. Here's a sample report."A Consolidated Media Report is not an audit program; rather it is a

Big schools bail out of Maclean's rankings

Eleven of Canada's top universities, including several of its largest and oldest, have told Maclean's to take a hike; they will not be participating in the annual university rankings, which they have long complained are arbitrary, unfair and unrepresentative. In the past, some other universities have demurred (and were simply left out of the rankings), but it will be a significant blow to the

The numbers game

The New York Times's Julie Bosman ruminates today on the trend, in the list-mad magazine business (driven so by the revenues that typically accrue) to make lists bigger. Top 10 long ago became Top 50; Top 50 now routinely becoming Top 100.

Fat and happy for fall fashion

It's September, or at least it is on the newsstand, as the fat fashion books wheel out their blockbuster books. Canada's big two feature TV stars. Fashion magazine (St. Joseph) has Rachel Bilson as its cover girl. Flare from Rogers (sorry don't have an acceptable image) features Elysha Cuthbert from 24.Rumours that the September Vogue comes with cab fare so you can get it home are probably just

Would your readers rather save money than time?

Since many magazines rely on a) advertising and b) female readers, it is best to keep an eye on what they think. Women shoppers in the U.S. rely mostly on friends and family (45 percent) as trusted sources to avoid buyer's remorse. The least trusted sources of shopping advice were sales people (39 percent) and advertising (31%). This, according to a national survey carried out by the Consumer

From tee to green in a good cause

The New Quarterly,which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary, has always had a friend in centenarian Edna Staebler (left), one-time magazine journalist, author, famous as a cookbook writer (Food That Really Schmecks and More Food That Really Schmecks), well-known for her generosity to arts organizations. Now, Staebler is lending her name to the Edna Staebler Golf Classic, a fundraiser for

Josh Olson Post Comic-Con Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith catches up with Josh Olson Post Comic-Con for a few more questions

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Elle Girl dead, but fulfilled

Circulation bumps can be expected by Seventeen magazine and Cosmo Girl (both Hearst titles) as they pick up parts of the list from the late print edition of Hachette Filipacchi's Elle Girl, according to a story in Ad Age. Elle Girl subscribers are receiving chirpy notices saying: "We're writing to share some good news! Special arrangements have been made with Seventeen magazine to service your

Fallouts in family and teen circles in Britain

I'm as fascinated as the next person by the cover line "Crazy lover tried to hack off my head" but it's not as comforting as a perfectly prepared pudding, is it?Kira Cochrane of the Guardian thus bids goodbye to the British version of Family Circle magazine, aimed at that endangered species, the homemaker.In recent years...Family Circle has been challenged by a huge group of low-priced women's

Win-win at US

It seems a classic win-win. Jann Wenner needed a partner a while back (February 2001) for his title US Weekly, and the Walt Disney Company bought 50 per cent for $40 million. Now, Wenner wanted to be sole owner again. He got control back and Disney got $300 million for the shares. US Weekly's newsstand sales hit 1 million for the first time this year; 61,000 of them in Canada.

Complicated bearers or cultural icons?

At the recent Canadian Library Association conference, a presentation was made Heather McKend a graduate student in the University of Western Ontario's Faculty of Information and Media Studies. It was called "Complicated Bearers of Cultural Difference": Canadian Magazines and Trade Policy. It is published in the proceedings of the 2006 conference and is illustrated here with a rather confusing

Sanati joins Chatelaine as Deputy Editor

Writer and editor Maryam Sanati has joined Chatelaine in a newly created post of Deputy Editor reporting to Editor-in-Chief Sara Angel. Sanati has been freelancing for Toronto Life, writing a fashion column for the past three years, and was deputy editor of the Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine. She was deeply involved in turning the Friday Review section of the newspaper into 7, an

Betty's Cucina

The battle for the hearts and minds of Hispanics heats up in the U.S. with word that General Mills is launching a custom publication called Que Rica Vida (What a Beautiful Life). A story in Ad Age says that 2 million copies of the magazine will be distributed either by mail or through Hispanic retailers.The new magazine will essentially be going up against another custom publication produced by

City and Regional elects new president

Barney Fonzi, group publisher of Diablo magazine, has been elected president of the City & Regional Magazine Association, an organization of 97 primarily paid circulation, general consumer magazines that has several Canadian members, including Vancouver magazine and Okanagan Life. Diablo is based in Walnut Creek, California and serves the affluent communities in San Francisco's East Bay. (CRMA is

Off til Tuesday

Have a nice long weekend those of you who have one. Back with posts on Tuesday 8th.

Could it be true? Is Apple no longer 'cool'?

[This is mostly for the art departments, but also for the evangelists among the editorial staffs. And it is written by an unrepentant PC guy.]The Independent in Britain has published an interesting article asking the earth-shaking question whether Apple is cool any more. How the very enthusiasm of Apple fans for the company's original ethos is being ranged against it. "The people who, over the

Michel Frappier leaves OMDC to lead bid for World Expo

Michel Frappier, Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Media Development Corporation since 2002, has left to be CEO of the Toronto 2015 World Expo Corporation. Kristine Murphy, Director, will serve as acting CEO of OMDC.Frappier's new job will be to lead the formal bid for the fair, which happens every five years. The bid has been under consideration by the city of Toronto for several years. "This

An ad-free shopping magazine is apparently not a contradiction in terms

The first issue of ShopSmart, a new quarterly shopping magazine from the same organization, Consumers Union, that publishes Consumer Reports magazine and the companion online site ConsumerReports.org, is on Canaadian newsstands this week (thanks for the tip, Joyce). ShopSmart retails for C$5.99($4.99 in the U.S.). Subscriptions are apparently not offered. Unfortunately, though understandably,

British magazine journalists belatedly get recognition

As curious as it may seem, the British magazine industry hasn't, until now, had an awards program that honoured magazine journalists. There has been awards for editors and publishers and the Magazine Design Awards for about eight years, but not an award for the people who come up with the words. That is being redressed by the U.K Press Gazette, which is launching the new awards that will be made

Comic-Con 2006 Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith hosts a panel at the 2006 Comic-Con with guest speakers; Simon Kinberg, Richard Kelly, Josh Olson, Brian Nelson and Gregory Noveck

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Virtue may be reward, but a prize is nice, too

With more and more Canadian magazines taking the plunge into various environment-friendly production practices (vegetable-based inks, ancient forest-friendly paper), perhaps it is time to strut their stuff. One way would be to enter the competition for the 2nd annualAveda Environmental Award for environmental leadership in magazine production. Deadline is August 31 and the awards will be made at

Is there a draft in here? Blog comments and libel chill

Michael Geist, well known as a thoughtful commentator on internet law and practices, wrote a column about a serious and far-reaching case of libel chill. The column appeared in the Toronto Star and elsewhere. A British Columbia website, P2Pnet.net, is being sued for defamation for comments posted on the site by its readers."The suit, launched by Sharman Networks' Nikki Hemming, has attracted

So You Want to Start a Magazine?

The next session of So You Want to Start a Magazine?, offered by Ryerson University's Chang School of Continuing Education, will take place Friday, September 22 and Saturday, September 23 at the Ryerson campus in Toronto. Fee is $495 and the instructor is D. B. Scott. To find out more, click on the link at the right, or here.

Stating it plainly

The separation of advertising and editorial in magazines has been a topic of much discussion recently. Ad managers are reporting huge pressure from advertisers for concessions. Editors express concern. But often publishers keep mum. When the most recent revision of the advertising guidelines comes out from the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors, there will be many publishers who make all the

Canadian Dimension article ruminates about running on empty

Canadian Dimension has recently been getting more notice outside its small circulation circle. For instance, there was an excellent package on the crisis in Canadian universities (nominated for a National Magazine Award). And now an environmental blog, Gristmill, points to an article in the July/August issue about the concept of "peak oil". (As we understand it, this posits that the world is on

The Martha Stewarts of hip hop

"They've beaten it to a bloody pulp." With that, a South African investor walked away in from the mess that is The Source, at one time the preeminent hip-hop music magazine (and one which has several Canadian imitators).The "they" is the investment group Black Enterprises/Greenwich Street Corporate Growth Partners that took over the magazine last January, ousting the founder, David May and his

Rogers roars back...even the magazines

Rogers Communications saw its share price take off as it announced a record second quarter earnings -- $277.5 million, or about 14 times what it earned in the same quarter last year, according to a report from Canadian Press.Wireless operating profit rose by one-third to $486.8 million.Cable operating profit was up 11 per cent to $355.4 millionInternet operating profit advanced 23 per cent to

Blow-in cards take a holiday at Hearst

Philips Electronics is paying Hearst Magazines $2 million to eliminate blow-in cards from the September issues of four of its titles -- Redbook, O At Home, Weekend and House Beautiful. Read more about it in this Wall Street Journal article. Each magazine will instead run a two-page Philips ad with the line "Simplicity is not having subscription cards fall out of your magazine."The ads are the

Masthead launches awards index

Masthead magazine and its companion website, mastheadonline.com, are about to launch an indexed list of the Canadian magazine awards winners, consolidated from all the various competitions across the country. The Masthead Awards Index, which has been dubbed "The Dexters" will show which magazine has won most golds, silvers and honourable mentions across the country.189 trade and consumer