"Time spent" with magazine ads now more favoured metric

Magazines have more than twice the impact of TV, online or radio and considerably more than printed newspapers in terms of time spent engaged with advertising, according to report done for the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). The results were reported by MediaDaily News.The article noted that magazines have been reluctant in the past to use "time spent" as a measure in relation to other

South African ad wins best of show at Magazine Canada Best on Page event

Late reporting that a DDB entry from South Africa won best of show in the reader's choice picks at Magazines Canada's Best on Page event last week. The ad, for Energizer batteries was picked by attendees at the fourth annual event, an exhibition of award-winning magazine creative from around the world. It featured 150 international award winners from the Cannes Lions Festival, the Epica Awards,

Atlantic Magazines Association lays down a good foundation

The Atlantic Magazines Association (AMA) is off to a good start after its first annual conference in Halifax. [Disclosure: I was a paid speaker and have done some consulting work with them.] The fledgling association has its work cut out for it in part because of a surfeit of geography; most other regional associations (BC, Alberta, Manitoba) don't encompass four provinces and two time zones (

Outgoing Canadian Geographic editor on fun with freelancers

Outgoing Canadian Geographic editor Rick Boychuk makes a graceful exit with his final column in which he says what many other good editors feel about freelancers:The best of their pitches to us often result in more work than we can pay them to undertake. And yet, with assignments in hand, off they go by plane (Lisa Gregoire from Edmonton to Grise Fiord), canoe (Karsten Heuer from Calgary to

Magazine world view

Herald Tribune website revamped (Guardian)What's wrong with CNN? (Media Nation)Prevention cuts rate base 15% (Folio:)UK Online Sales Growth To Halve In '09, Publishers Say(paidContent)The AP Daily without AP (Buzz Machine)IAB: Online Ad Spend Grew 10.6 Percent In '08, Dragged Down By Difficult Q4(paidContent)

The Great Buck Howard Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews writer-director Sean McGinly about The Great Buck Howard

Copyright Unlikely Films, Inc. 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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The Last House on the Left Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writers Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth about The Last House on the Left

Copyright Unlikely Films, Inc. 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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ESPN magazine takes "flapvertising" another step

The erosion of editorial cover integrity proceeds apace: this time, perhaps emboldened by the Esquire venture into cover "flapvertising" that, at least, had to be opened, ESPN magazine has gone a step forward with an advertising flap that virtually obscures the cover, according to a story in Portfolio.com. Once again, it seems an offence to the spirit and letter of the American Society of

Harmonized Ontario tax confirmed; magazines to take the hit

Magazines publishing in Ontario will, as expected, have to charge a 13% harmonized tax on top of subscriptions starting in just over a year. It was confirmed in yesterday's Ontario budget that the 8% provincial sales tax will be merged with the 5% GST starting July 1, 2010.It is, in effect, an 8% increase in taxation, since the 50% of magazines in Ontario have not charged provincial sales tax on

Magazine readership shows slight decline in 2009 spring PMB study

The just-released 2009 Print Measurement Bureau results, the first to be issued on a biannual (spring/fall) schedule, show a slight decline in readership of about 4%, based on data gathered in 2007 and 2008. English Canadian magazines were down an average of 3.2% in readership; French titles 6.2%.Average magazine readership is 1.3 million (English) and 522,000 French and a steady average

Does the government want to treat small mags and readers like cockroaches?

Jon Barton, the editor of The Malahat Review and one of the people spearheading a protest group on Facebook about a funding floor in the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) has written a strongly worded opinion piece for the Globe and Mail. The new measure, to come into effect April 2010 would restrict support to magazines with more than 5,000 annual paid circulation; this would effectively shut out

"Harmonization" of Ontario sales tax will wallop magazines

[This post has been updated]Today's likely announcement in the Ontario budget of "harmonization" of its provincial sales tax (8%) with the federal goods and services tax (5%), will have a major impact on magazines sold in the province. It means that the provincial sales tax portion, never before paid on magazinesmagazine subscriptions, will now apply.In effect, the decision will automatically

Magazines Canada joins American Business Media as international member

Here's a curiosity: American Business Media has welcomed Magazines Canada as an international member, one of nine new members announced in a posting on its website. The curious part is that ABM -- the major U.S. association for b2b print and online publications -- sought out MagsCan. This is despite the alliance between ABM and Canadian Business Press (CBP) which has made little secret of its

Quote, unquote: on letting U.S. papers go non-profit

"We are losing our newspaper industry. The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy." -- Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, D.-Md., speaking to his proposal to allow beleagured U.S. newspapers to operate as not-for-profits.

Suits enwrap short-lived U.S. newspaper magazine supplement RiseUp

About a year ago we wrote about the forthcoming June launch of a "curious new magazine" called RiseUp that intended to distribute 4 million copies through insertion in various newspapers across the U.S. and address relations between races.And, if the publisher's ambitions are to be believed, by the first quarter of 2009, circulation will be 8 million this fall and could be as high as 12 million

Founding editor of Style at Home retiring

The founding editor of Style at Home magazine, Gail Johnston Habs, is retiring at the end of May after 12 years with the magazine and 23 with Transcontinental Media.After founding and editing artviews, a magazine for Canadian contemporary artists, for nine years, and active participation on the boards of several cultural organizations (including the Ontario Association of Art Galleries and the

Total newspaper readership held steady in 2008: NADbank study

Those of us in publishing, print and online, should feel quite relieved with what passes for good news these days: Total newspaper readership for all of 2008 was essentially steady. The NADbank study shows that more than three-quarters of Canadians, 77%, read a printed or online version of a daily newspaper in a typical week, according to a report in Marketing magazine.The 2008 readership study

Keeping the good thought; interns talk about the future

Stacey May Fowles, the circ and marketing director at The Walrus and publisher of Shameless magazine, was wondering how Walrus interns thought about the scary, pessimistic and generally uncertain tone these days; so she asked them and posted their comments on her blog on Masthead. For instance when they were asked if they were optimistic about the future:Ashton Osmak: Oddly, yes. There was a

Cannabis Culture couple run for different parties in B.C. provincial election

The publisher and editor of Vancouver-based Cannabis Culture magazine are both running in the 2009 British Columbia provincial general election, but for different parties. Jody Emery, the editor is running as a Green Party candidate for the riding of Vancouver Fraserview. She's married to high-profile marijuana activist Marc Emery, leader of the Marijuana Party, who is running in Vancouver

From the genteel world of magazines...

A concert sponsored by Abort magazine in Vancouver had to be broken up by the Vancouver police when controversial New York rapper Necro (he's the one in the middle) failed to show up and fans, um, demonstrated their displeasure.According to a report on the Abort magazine website, fans had been waiting for hours at the Richards on Richards nightclub on Saturday, only to be told that Necro's

Roundup of Alberta Magazines Conference awards

Here's a roundup of the awards given out at last weekend's Alberta Magazine Conference. Dan Rubinstein was named editor of the year as the founding editor of Unlimited magazine.

Quote, unquote: Thinking about the consumer

“I want to see some innovation. I want to know that when we stop the mental fisticuffs we can go back to thinking about the consumer. We’ve spent the last two months thinking about every other stakeholder. Let’s get together and think how we can get closer to the consumer.”-- Dwell publisher Michela O’Connor Abrams speaking at the 2009 MPA Retail Conference.

Magazine world view

Hachette Filipacchi is selling enthusiast titles (AdAge)Remnick denies tweet about bi-weekly New Yorker (New York Observer)Roy of the Rovers and other classic comics return to newsstands (Guardian)Hispanic magazine ad pages down 17% through February (Folio:)Future publishing profits hit by U.S. distribution dispute (Guardian)Wired is launching British edition, 12 years after last attempt (

Soft landing for Canadian Home & Country staffers

The closure of Canadian Home & Country magazine was a great loss, but the good news out of it is that all of the editorial staff have found work with other Transcontinental Media publications, according to a post by Erin McLaughlin, the editor of CH&C's online version and also editor of Canadian Gardening.Executive editor Suzanne Moutis, art director Jose Woertman, assistant editor Karina

Canadian Business suspends paid internships, for now

Sorry to see that Canadian Business, which has for some time offered much-sought-after six month paid internships, has suspended its program, at least for now, according to a story in Masthead. It usually hires two paid interns for four- and six-month terms in the summer and fall and has paid them $2,000 a month out of the editorial budget to do fact-checking, writing and research; much better

Barely paid, but roundly educated: Taddle Creek offers unusual internship

One of Canada's smaller magazines, the twice-a-year literary Taddle Creek in Toronto, is offering a well-rounded magazine education to one lucky intern.Herewith, how it is described, in part:More than just a literary magazine internship, Taddle Creek’s program offers a well-rounded education in every area of the magazine industry—from writing, editing, and fact-checking, to design, circulation,

Glacier advances, with healthy 2008 profit

Vancouver-based Glacier Media Inc., a magazine and newspaper publishing company posted a healthy profit in 2008, according to a report in the Georgia Straight.In an environment when many media companies are chalking up big losses, Glacier (which owns daily and weekly newspapers, the Vancouver Media Group, Business Information Group, Glacier Newspaper Group, Western Producer Publications, Farm

Shameless magazine anthology to be published in June

Shameless magazine is to publish its first book in June, an anthology drawn from the pages of the magazine. Edited by publisher Stacey May Fowles and editor Megan Griffith-Green and designed by magazine art director Sheila Sampath, it's called She's Shameless and is described as "fearless and funny non-fiction about strong, smart and shameless young women. With wit and honesty, the writers share

The Beaver takes the plunge into the U.S. newsstand market

Beginning with its April/May issue, The Beaver will be plunging into the roiling waters of U.S newsstand distribution. An initial test of 700 copies per issue for the first year will be distributed through MSolutions (serving the Southeastern states, including Florida) and Source Agencies (servicing Barnes and Noble and Borders stores nation-wide.) “We’re very excited by this project and the

Canadian Health & Lifestyle launches new look

Canadian Health & Lifestyle Magazine, is launching a redesign. “While some publications are slowing down, we’re gearing up for the future. The new design reflects that," said Joe Viecili, publisher of the magazine.The 5-year-old quarterly magazine is now ranked 7th in readership in Canada, according to PMB 2008. It has a total controlled distribution of 1,600,000 nationally including through

Friendly fare: LRC uses referrals to build circ

The LRC (Literary Review of Canada)is using an intriguing audience-building device; it's sending gift subscriptions to a list of 55 people across Canada with the obvious hope that they'll influence others and spread the word about the magazine. (I'm one of those who is receiving an unbidden sub.)The people receiving the gift subs are nominated by existing subscribers; and the customized letter

Elle Canada redesigns website to give ads greater prominence

The trend to giving advertisers greater prominence on magazine websites is exemplified by the relaunch of Elle Canada. According to a story in Media in Canada, the redesign went live last month and will be promoted in the May issue. Advertisers can buy larger "overlay" ads, which are images or text links that are click-able within the prominent video or on their own brand's own tab in the beauty

Magazine world view

Knives out at New Statesman as Alastair Campbell editing stint sparks 'crisis of faith' (Guardian)Time publisher Donald Fries steps down (Wall St. Journal)The return of Wired magazine: Will the geeks save us? (Jeff Jarvis in the Guardian)All Hearst magazines offer green articles, sponsored by eBay (Mediaweek)Playboy makes digital archive free (Folio:)

Manitoba publishers launch first magazine awards

The Manitoba Magazine Publishers Association (MMPA) is holding its first awards program May 8. Winners in eight categories in what has been dubbed the "Maggies" will be given out at a gala dinner at the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg. Nominations for the awards will be accepted from April 1-20.The Friday evening gala will be bracketed Friday and Saturday by a series of daytime seminars.

AMPA sets example for Mag Awards

The awards presentation at the Alberta Magazines Conference Friday afternoon went off smoothly at 3:30 p.m. in a reception room at the Carriage House Inn in a distant section of Calgary known (rather dauntingly to outsiders) as “the South East.” Colleen Seto, executive director of AMPA (known to AMPA members as Little Blessing), climbed onto a chair in the middle of the room and called for

Canada Council names new writing and publishing head

The Canada Council for the Arts has named a new head of its writing and publishing section, which provides support for literary and cultural magazines, according to a post in Quill & Quire. Three months after the departure of Melanie Rutledge, Arash Mohtashami-Maali will take the new position on April 20. He is currently director of the French language, Ottawa-based, magazine Liaison and

Eric Harris named EIC of Canadian Geographic

Canadian Geographic has promoted executive editor Eric Harris to be its new editor-in-chief, replacing Rick Boychuk, who resigned in January after 14 years in the post. Harris said in a release: “My goal is to build on Rick’s legacy,” Harris stated. “By channelling the voices of a generation of writers, photographers, editors, artists, scientists and everyday people with extraordinary stories to

U.S. stimulus money should go to advertising tax credit, columnist says

Everybody has ideas about how the U.S. stimulus money should be spent. Now it is being suggested that a tax credit be included for spending money on advertising. Bob Pittman, former CEO of MTV Networks, Time Warner Enterprises and Century 21 Real Estate, has written an opinion piece in Fortune magazine saying that advertising is an investment in stimulating consumer demand.Acknowledging that he

I Love You Man Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writer and director John Hamburg about I Love You Man

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Net gain of 42 titles in 2008, Masthead reports

There was a net gain of 42 magazine titles in 2008, with 71 total launches and 29 closures, according to Masthead's annual tally.90% of the net growth in titles were consumer magazinesTrade and farm magazines saw 11 launches and 9 closures10% of launches were French languageHalf of launches were quarterlies18% of launches were primarily paid circulation

Quote, unquote: on re-scaling and charging more

The simple answer is the worldwide web has become the biggest challenge for the printed page. Content is virtually free for the taking on millions of Web sites. And with the web you get instant information whether it is the weather, recipes, scores, or stock quotes. It is an amazing time in the history of media. Magazines have to re-scale their circulation but charge more for those who want it.

Media world view

Gannett Slashed CEO's Pay 60% (AP)Scottish publishers to present at Parliament (PPA)Pension Cutbacks at Condé Nast (New York Post)Ad Age to print fewer issues (AdAge)Ex Loaded editor to edit Bauer cooking title on eating at home (Press Gazette)Garden & Gun saved (Folio:)

The New Yorker, natch, leads U.S. magazine awards nominee list

The New Yorker once again leads the pack with a total of 10 nominations, including for general excellence, reporting and feature writing in the American Society of Magazine Editors' (ASME)awards, announced on Wednesday. Close behind was GQ, with 8 nominations, the most that magazine has ever received in a single year.For general excellence online:1 million or more average monthly visitors:

French law would require disclosure of degree of magazine airbrushing

French public health officials are considering new laws that would require magazines to reveal the extent to which they airbrush cover subjects, according to a blog post by David Byrne. It’s viewed as a public health issue because girls and boys (and men and women) are feeling increasingly ashamed of their bodies as they compare themselves to what they see all around them — images of bodies that

Quote, unquote: Why the magazine isn't dying

Magazines still offer an unsurpassed ability to marry literary ambitions with deep reporting, photography, and visual design. In this new media age, people talk about the importance of transforming readers into "communities." Magazines have never had a community problem. Great magazines have built enduring relationships with their readers that Facebook and Tumblr still aspire to. But in a race to

Transcon plan for non-union staffing of California plant sparks controversy

Transcontinental Printing, which is one of Canada's largest printers and which prints its own and many other people's magazines, is caught up in a controversy in California over plans to staff a brand-new newspaper printing plant with non-union pressmen. According to an article in the Columbia Journalism Review, it is related to Hearst Corporation's attempt to break San Francisco's Pressman's and

Do J-schools teach what was, rather than what is and will be?

A recent to-and-fro on the Toronto Freelance Editors and Writers list (sub req'd) was about whether traditional skills and concepts taught in journalism schools are ill-equipping graduates for the real world.Naturally, some people (including current teachers) felt that basic research, interviewing and writing skills are eminently transferrable, even if grads don't wind up in a traditional

Looming deadline for CSME awards

The deadline for the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors' awards is 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. There are awards for best front of book, best display writing, editor of the year and, new this year, best website; any one entry makes a title eligible for Magazine of the Year in one of three consumer circulation categories (small (0 to 49,000), medium (50,000 to 149,000) and large (150,000+) as

Time Inc. experiments with customized magazine drawn from 8 titles

Time Inc., in partnership with one sponsor, Toyota Motor Corporation, is offering interested readers a personalized magazine called mine. Its content is drawn from eight different titles -- Time, Sports Illustrated, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Money, In Style, Golf, and Travel + Leisure. Readers get to select 5 titles from which content for their customized issue will be drawn. The first issue,

High school hoops magazine launched in Mississauga

A quarterly print magazine and website called Crown has been launched, dedicated to high school basketball, according to a story in Mississauga News. Gilbert Muako-Jones, a Guelph-Humber journalism student and Tariq Sbiet, who played for St. Martin Mustangs in Mississauga and have been friends since Grade 8, have been talking about the publishing idea for several years.“We feel that there are

St. Joe's saves by putting staff on 4-day week for summer; cutting pay 5% through October

[This post has been updated] Breaking news: Staff at St. Joseph Media (Toronto Life, Fashion, Canadian Family etc.) have been told that they are taking a "short term 5% pay cut" by working a four-day week during July and August. More as we hear it.[Update: Masthead magzine reports that the 5% cut stretches from April through October, with the short weeks for July and August and quotes St. Joseph

ABC gives autonomy to Canada, changes rules on digital editions

The Audit Bureau of Circulatons (ABC) is accommodating itself to current realities with a new policy on the definition of a digital magazine. Previously, it had restricted auditable content to a facsimile of a printed magazine. Now, according to a release, beginning June 2009, the audit firm (which does the 3rd party circ audits for many larger magazines and newspapers) will allow digital

Time Inc. corporate orders simultaneous editorial for 3-D movie

Five Time Inc. magazines -- Time, Fortune, People, Sports Illustrated and Entertainment Weekly-- are running simultaneous, corporate-ordered editorial on 3-D technology and, in return, are getting a big advertising payday from Macdonald's, according to a story in AdAge. (For one of the magazines, Fortune, this is the first time the hamburger chain has advertised.) All the magazines will include

Explore magazine gets a glowing mention

I don't know how it came about but explore magazine got a major (and well-deserved) plug in an article by Vancouver writer Bruce Grierson on the website of the Canadian Tourism Commission.The story appears on its media centre page (a place where they try to interest various media in writing and broadcasting about Canada) and says, in part:There’s a whole, life-altering world out there beyond the

Quote, unquote: the high price of selling out

There is nothing scarier than wanting to sell out and discovering that no one wants to buy in. -- Time magazine columnist Joel Stein on his plan to single-handedly save journalism.

Watchmen Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writers David Hayter and Alex Tse about Watchmen

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Transcon swings to first quarter loss of $6.4 million or 8 cents a share

Transcontinental Inc. lost $6.4 million in the first quarter, a $40 million swing from its profit in the same period last year. It attributed the loss to a decline in advertising. Revenues increased to $604.1 million from $596 million in the year-ago while net income, exclusive of unusual items, decreased to $15.1 million from $28.4 million. The loss for the period ended Jan. 31 was 8 cents per

Quote, unquote: The show should go on

It is entirely possible that Rogers Publishing really does need that $5,000. But even if it turns into a potluck supper, the 2009 NMAs should proceed.-- from an editorial in the Globe and Mail, Friday, March 13

RD Canada lets go 15 people, including English editor-in-chief

At the end of January, the Reader's Digest Association announced sweeping staff cuts and financial restraint in the U.S., with indications that up to 8% of its worldwide workforce would probably be laid off. Other divisions worldwide including Canada, were to be dealt with in due course. Yesterday, Reader's Digest Canada let 15 full-time people go, including the vice-president and editor-in-chief

FIPP chief Kummerfeld to step down

Donald Kummerfeld is stepping down as president and CEO of the International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP) after 8 years, according to a report in Brand Republic. (There is a longer release on the FIPP website.) He will complete his term following the biennial FIPP Magazine Congress being held in London in May. He had previously run the Magazine Publishers of America, the world's

Glacier to publish Winter Olympics souvenir program

Vancouver-based Glacier Media Inc. will publish the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics official souvenir program. Glacier owns the Business Information Group, Canada's largest publisher of trade magazines (43 titles, 28 directories, 35 web sites), various online research and information tools, Western Producer Publications and Farm Business Communications as well as a chain of community newspapers

Ads creep onto magazine covers

Traditionally, and until recently, it was a generally accepted rule that the cover of a magazine was editorial space, free of advertising. In both Canada and the U.S. there are guidelines to that effect. But as an article in the New York Times notes, uncertain times drive flexibility and changes, one of which is that advertising seems to be creeping onto covers.The hook for the article was an ad

Innovative alternatives to current creaky single copy distribution

The business and technology publisher Seybold explores the current single copy distribution and sales mess in the U.S. in its March issue and proposes a couple of thought-provoking solutions.The article is a pretty good summary of the supply chain issues that the magazine industry is facing with an inefficient system where wholesalers lose money, whole forests of magazines are wasted and pulped

$18,000 Scholarship and internship offered to aspiring art directors

Rethink Communications of Vancouver and Langara College now offer one, aspiring art director or designer a two-year, fully-paid scholarship worth $18,000 to the new Communication and Ideation Design program. The person selected also gets a 3-month internship at Rethink. Application is by using a sketchbook to convey ideas, although they may include sculpture, photos and interactive elements. All

A celebration of magazines' independence and beauty

Amidst spreading gloom and pessimism about magazines (not here, mind) it does well to remember that this is one of the most creative and dynamic of cultural products, leading the way in writing, editorial design and visual arts.A compilation that will gladden hearts of magazine connoisseurs is about to be published: We Make Magazines: inside the independents. It features lavish spreads that

Unlimited magazine suspended in print, continues online only

[This post has been updated.]Unlimited magazine, launched in mid-2007, is being suspended as a print publication effective with its May/June 2009 issue and is to be available online only, it was announced today by Venture Publishing of Edmonton. The business and lifestyle magazine was pitched to younger entrepreneurs and professionals.Kent Bruyneel, who had barely got his feet under the editor's

Canadian magazine publishers median pay package is $160,000

The media compensation package for a Canadian consumer magazine publisher is almost $160,000 and for a top editor it is $100,000, according to a just-released study.

Magazines Canada and the Cultural Human Resources Council have released a summary of a compensation study carried out by Mercer (Canada) Limited in the fall of 2008. The study was funded by the Government of Canada's Sector Council

Quote, unquote: Tina Brown on print becoming an elite thing

"It's all going to move online. Print, I think, will become much more an elite thing. I don't think for a minute that we're going to lose print, nor should we, but I do think there will be a shaking out."-- From a conversation between Daily Beast founder and editor-in-chief Tina Brown (ex Talk, ex New Yorker, ex Vanity Fair) and New York Times media columnist David Carr about the current state of

Magazine aimed at Irish in Canada launched

A magazine aimed at the Irish community in Canada has been re-launched nationally just in time for St. Patrick's day. Irish Connections Canada is a controlled pub whose 10,000 copies will be distributed three times annually through Irish pubs, clubs and retail locations. (It was formerly called Toronto Irish News with a narrower reach.) In addition some 550 copies will be mailed to members of

Magazine world view

Times fails to overturn "internet publication rule" in court case (Guardian)Guardian launches Open Platform service to make online content available freeOnline publishers hope bigger, bolder ads can save display (paidContent.org)

Ignatieff gets open letter asking him to champion arts & culture

In a cheeky move, La Scena Musicale has published on its blog an open letter from one of its marquee British columnists to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.Norman Lebrecht, whose weekly column is carried by La Scena, is best known as a cultural commentator based in Britain, who has written 11 books on music, including critiques of the way classical orchestras and the classical music industry are

Toronto Star closes down Desi Life magazine for south Asians

Desi Life, the magazine from the Toronto Star aimed at the south Asian community, has ceased publication, effective with its February-March issue. A letter to contributors from editor Bageshree (Shree) Paradkhar said:The magazine is not immune to the effects of this terrible recession around us, and it did not get the level of advertising support the company was looking for.The glossy bi-monthly

CanWest sells its 75% stake in The New Republic to investor group

CanWest Global Communications Corp. ("Canwest" or the "Company") announced today that it has sold The New Republic to a group of private investors which include Laurence Grafstein and Martin Peretz, the magazine's long-time editor-in-chief. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Grafstein is a TNR board member and, most importantly, someone with deep pockets. He was until recently a top executive

Sponsorship is tight, but despite rumours, Magawards are a go

It may be a little leaner, but there will be a National Magazine Awards this year. Rumours have been circulating that Brian Segal, the CEO of Rogers Publishing, the country's largest magazine publisher, sent a memo to the awards board, cc'd to a number of other CEOs, saying that he was not going to sponsor the event and urging that, because of the economic situation, the event be cancelled this

RDA president: We're not filing for bankruptcy

Reader's Digest Association President and CEO Mary Berner has issued an anodyne statement saying that while they have hired Kirkland and Ellis, a law firm that advises in bankruptcy cases, it was merely as advisors (in other words, she confirms the reports last week, but says that RDA is not filing for bankruptcy; as far as we know, no one said they were.)Masthead has published the entire

On the Go commuter quarterly to expand in more ways than one

On The Go, a controlled glossy quarterly magazine is expanding in size and distribution. The commuter paper is increasing to a "European digest" size which increases its page size by 20%. And, according to a story in Media in Canada it is increasing its distribution by 35,000 copies in TTC subway and GO train stations throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) that will see 100,000 copies in

Maclean's partners for content with travel industry site

Maclean's magazine and Macleans.ca have partnered with travel industry site TakeOffeh.com, which will provide content for the newly launched Maclean's travel section."Our concept is based on giving consumers candid, unapologetic travel content, to help them navigate through a very competitive marketplace" explains co-founder Nina Slawek in a release. Her partner Suzanne Christie, says she's not

First "Magazines East" conference to be held March 29, 30

The first annual Magazines East conference is to be hosted by the Atlantic Magazines Association in Halifax on March 29 and 30 at the Westin Nova Scotian. There'll be a reception from 5 to 7 pm Sunday 29 at which I'll be giving a keynote speech titled “Why Magazines Have a Future.” There are a series of professional-development seminars, on Monday 30th from 9 am to 5 pm. Martin

Funding decisions said to show "incredible lack of understanding"

It seems to me that the introduction of a circulation cap of this sort equates cultural relevance with some definition of commercial viability. A magazine or journal that can't reach 5, 000 people over the course of a year can't be worthy of sustained public support. It shows an incredible lack of understanding of the industry, of the nature of the art and literary magazines, both historically

Oil sands are a national unity issue, says magazine writer and author Nikiforuk

Award-winning magazine writer and author Andrew Nikiforuk has criticized the lack of a long-term energy and climate change policy. And he told the Hill Times that the Alberta oil sands are not an "Alberta issue" but one of national unity:"The tar sands is definitely a nation-changing project that has affected every corner of the country."Mr. Nikiforuk, a Calgary-based economics and environment

Are you reading and thinking any faster than you used to?

Comments I've been reading from many different sources suggest that the traditional process of creating magazines is outmoded, and doomed, because of the lag between writing an article and having it reach the end user. This "gratification curve" seems to assume that delivery time trumps reporting and research, editing and design, which take time if they are to be done well. That goes for selling

CEO steps down after evolving Reed from "dusty print publisher"

Sir Crispin Davies, who is stepping down from multinational publisher Reed Elsevier next week, says that when he took over as the CEO ten years ago, he quickly came to understand that Reed had to evolve from being “a dusty print publisher” to become an online information provider: “The key decision was: do we follow or do we lead [our customers online],” Sir Crispin recalls in a wide-ranging

Walrus love letters contest winners announced

A while back, we wrote about a 5th anniversary contest running at The Walrus, whereby readers would write love letters and vie for a prize. The winners have now been announced.The grand prize, which includes $1,000 cash, a Deutsche Gramophon gift pack, a copy of Four Letter Word by former Walrus fiction editor Josh Knelman and a one-year subscription to The Walrus, went to Jennifer Croll, who

Aspers negotiating sale of CanWest stake in The New Republic

[This post has been updated] The Aspers are considering selling back their majority ownership of the U.S. magazine The New Republic, as they try to divest "non-core assets" in the face of serious financial problems. CanWest Global Media Inc. (a subsidiary of CanWest Media Works International) bought a 25% stake in the 98-year-old Washington-based magazine in January 2006, then an additional 50%

Gomorrah Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writer/director Matteo Garrone and co-writer Maurizio Braucci about Gomorrah

Copyright Unlikely Films, Inc. 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Back issues of Masthead now available in digital format

The print Masthead is gone, but back issues are not. Texterity, the digital services company, has sponsored the digitization of the last two years of the industry trade magazine and made them retrievable as pwfs. They are available now at Masthead Online. Of course this means you can refer back to two years of my Good Question column...

The era of "news is free" is over: CSM editor

Christian Science Monitor editor John Yemma told a b2b industry conference yesterday that, the midst of the worst recession since the 1930s also marks the end of the Internet growth era, and the end of the notion that “news is free.”According to a story in Folio:, he told the Digital Velocity conference presented by American Business Media that CSM laid the groundwork early that allowed it to

Thanks for the funding, but about those small magazines...

Magazines Canada’s Executive Director of Public Affairs, Jim Everson, told the House of Commons heritage committee today that while the industry welcomed recent funding announcements, it has a couple of areas of concern.The January 27 budget announced $30 million over two years to replace the Canada Post contribution and a new Canada Periodical Fund is to replace both the Canada Magazine

Reader's Digest calls in restructuring specialists

Reports this afternoon from usually reliable Bloomberg News suggests that all is not well at Reader's Digest. The company is reported to have hired Kirkland & Ellis LLP to advise it on restructuring. Kirkland and Ellis are also well known for overseeing bankruptices.Founded in 1922, RDA was a public company from 1990 through 2007, when it was bought by investor group led by Ripplewood Holdings

Selecting the best of the best of...

It's seldom you get a chance to see behind the curtain when it comes to selecting a cover for a mainstream magazine.For the New York magazine annual "Best of New York" issue (March 9 - 16) it invited submissions from a number of designers and while it chose the cover on the right (from Brooklyn-based street artist KAWS, a.k.a. Brian Donnelly), they also provide readers with a slide show of the

Magazine world view

BBC Trust says Worldwide should be 'more contained' (Press Gazette)Radio Times prints 21 different covers (Guardian)Arena magazine to close after 22 years (Press Gazette)New Corp. shakeup could see James Murdoch take over in U.S.(Guardian)

Unintended consequences?

The agitation grows among small art and literary publishers in Canada about announced changes in funding at the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Facebook group started by John Barton from the Malahat Review and a group of other small mag editors has grown to more than 2,200 members and what they have to say should give the government pause.The decision to put a floor on any funding at 5,000

Big book publishers try to force Anderson News into bankruptcy

The mess that is the U.S. single copy magazine business just gets grimmer by the days. Four major U.S. book publishers went to U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan, trying to force Anderson News LLC into receivership. According to Reuters, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Random House Inc and Simon & Schuster Inc. are trying to recover all or part of the US$37.5 million they say the

"Mr. Magazine" to launch Magazine Innovation Center

A new research institute called the Magazine Innovation Center is being launched by Professor Samir Husni. He will be relinquishing his role as chair of the journalism department at the University of Mississippi as of August 15. Husni, who has been dubbed "Mr Magazine", is an acknowledged expert on magazines.I have decided to devote the remaining years of my professional career to study the

Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition cross-promoted with airplane wrap

Annals of magazine promotion: A U.S. airline has caused attention to be paid by wrapping one of its 737 planes in a vinyl reproduction of this year's Sports Illustrated magazine cover model. It certainly seems to be one of those examples where the more criticism it attracts, the better the promotional value -- for the airline and for the magazine.Commenters on the airline's blog have noted that

RDA's new U.S. magazines don't pay Canadian freelancers for re-using articles

Reader's Digest Association CEO Mary Berner won't disclose how much RDA is spending on its magazine launches Fresh Home and Best You. But, according to the New York Post, Berner told Media Ink the cost is "far below the cost of a traditional magazine launch".A friend tells us, however, that one of the ways costs have been kept down is that RDA is not paying second rights to the Canadian (and

Spacing branches out into web broadcasting

Spacing magazine has now launched Spacing Radio, a periodic web podcast on subjects related to the magazine's urban affairs focus (public transit, sustainability, architecture, and urban design.) The first broadcast is an interview with former London (Eng.) mayor Ken Livingstone. He was the one who ushered in the toll for driving into the congested heart of London.Spacing Radio is being hosted by

Better Homes & Gardens branded products come to Canadian Walmarts

After a successful rollout of Better Homes & Gardens-branded home and garden products in U.S. Walmart stores, Meredith Corporation has announced that it is doing the same deal with Walmart Canada Corp. and its 200 stores in Canada. The items will include bedding and bath accessories, dinnerware and kitchen textiles.The Canadian expansion marks the first time Better Homes and Gardens licensed

Magazines Canada wants targetted program for small arts & literary mags

Magazines Canada has told its members it is intent on negotiating revisions with the Department of Canadian Heritage to the announced provisions of the new Canada Periodical Fund. There are three areas of concern where it intends to press for changes:Arts and literary publications with <5,000>The cap on large magazine contributions should be "rethought" and even if it stays lowered to $1.5

U.S. monthlies' magazine ads decline 21.6% in Q1

Magazine ad pages in many U.S. monthly magazines were down by 21.6% in the first quarter of 2009, according to a compilation by MIN Online (as reported in MediaDaily News). Year-over-year declines for monthly magazines have been accelerating, with pages down 17% in January, 19.3% in February and 26% in March.Related stories:Magazines see some bright spots for second quarter (AdAge)