TVA Group has 18% profit increase in Q2 on flat revenue

TVA Group Inc., Quebcor Media's television and magazine publishing arm, saw a rise in second quarter profits by 18%, it has been reported. Net income of $15.2 million or 63 cents a share for the period ended June 30. That's up from year-earlier profits of $12.9 million or 49 cents a share. Operating income on the publishing side was flat at $3.3 million. TVA's total operating revenues were up a

Magazine world view

Firefox to reach one billion downloads in Explorer battle (Brand Republic)Chris Anderson dismisses newspapers in interview (Der Spiegel)Guardian Media Group posts pre-tax loss of nearly £90m (Guardian)Ofcom proposes relaxing local radio and cross-media ownership rules (Guardian)Toyota Motor Company is bringing all advertising in-house (PSFK)

Cobi Ladner finds her next career

A little over a year ago, Cobi Ladner surprised her colleagues by resigning as editor of Canadian House & Home magazine, a job she had held for 10 years. At the time, she said she hadn't quite decided what her next career would be.Now, she has created a home and design website called Cobi that she refers to as here "new on-line home". The site, infused with her "personal style and spirit" among

2009 Comic-Con Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews A History of Violence screenwriter Josh Olson, Watchmen co-writer David Hayter and Senior VP of Creative Affairs at DC Comics, Gregory Noveck, about the process of adapting comics to the screen

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

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Penguin Canada recruiting bloggers to review its books

In a development that seems to be not-very-good news for publications whose content includes book reviews, Penguin Group (Canada) is recruiting for its Bloggers & Books Network.“We are targeting book lovers, from fans of Dan Brown to Philip Roth. The benefits of the program are two-fold. We expose our books and authors to a blogger’s audience and bloggers benefit by gaining access to coveted

Two, high-end magazine photo shows coming to Toronto this fall

Lovers of high-end magazine photography are in for a treat this fall as two major shows are debuting in Toronto, according to a story on CBC.ca.The Art Gallery of Ontario is featuring Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923 -1937, It has 200 images from early fashion shoots from Vogue and Vanity Fair. Steichen was chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair. The show brought

Saskatchewan hunting mismanagement criticized by owner of Big Buck magazine

The editor of Saskatchewan-based Big Buck magazine says that mismanagement of hunting licenses in the province is so "appalling" in the province that he fears for the very existence of some populations of deer and moose. In a letter to the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Garry Donald takes issue with conservation officers saying that game animals are flourishing because fewer American hunters are coming

Online sub sales, new and renewal, expected to be 14% in 2009

The recent trend in growth of internet-sourced subscriptions continues, according to research released by the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). The MPA said that it expects 14% of total subscription sales, new and renewal, will come from online sources in 2009.Based on surveys conducted with member publishers in 2008 and 2009 (four months worth of data), online sourcing of new business was at

Adventures in long-form magazine editing

J-source has adapted and re-published an excellent article on long-form magazine editing, originally written last year by Bill Reynolds for Literary Journalism, the newsletter of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies. Reynolds is head of the magazine stream at Ryerson University. It's relatively unusual for such reflective writing about the craft, based on real stories and

IAB says online advertising up 29% in 2008; quadrupled in 5 years

The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB) today announced that online advertising grew by 29% in 2008, reaching an estimated $1.6 billion. Publisher revenue from Online advertising in Canada has more than quadrupled over the past five years -- building from $364 million in 2004 to the $1.6 billion mark in 2008 -- surpassing 2008 Radio revenues of $1.55 billion in the process.The bureau

Magazine world view

1105 Media to Publish Microsoft’s MSDN, TechNet Magazines (Folio:)McGraw-Hill Reports 42 Percent Profit Decline in Media Group (Folio:)Twitter adds search in homepage redesign, moving closer to Google (Daily Finance)Economist settles Russian billionaire's libel action (Guardian)

Why music magazines are struggling

Music magazines are dying says Slate magazine bliogger Jonah Weiner, for three reasons:There are fewer superstars and the same faces are published on every cover;No matter how striking your cover is, it will pop from the racks that much less thanks to the inevitable media saturation of its star. My former editor at Blender, Craig Marks, identified this phenomenon as "cover fatigue": In trying to

Rogers media division projecting 4% to 10% decline in earnings

Rogers Communications Inc. is forecasting that its media division, including its major consumer and trade magazine properties, TV stations and Toronto Blue Jays, will see a decline earnings this year from 4 to 10%, driven by continuing weaknesses in advertising. Rogers announced a net adjusted profit of $412-million on revenue of $2.89-billion for the quarter. Long-term debt load was $8.55-

Yukon publisher charts his own course

The website The Awl has published an interesting, if unchallenging, Q&A with Greg Karais, publisher of Yukon: North of Ordinary magazine. His approach was and continues to be somewhat unconventional. He says"I think there’s a total misunderstanding of what’s up here. I think people think we’re kind of backwater up here, kind of hillbillyish. It’s well-educated up here, nice clothes, good cars.

Canadian fashion titles hold up well in crucial September issues

Major Canadian fashion magazines are doing considerably better than their U.S. counterparts in the crucial September issues, according to a story in Media In Canada. While magazines like Vogue, Elle and InStyle are down an average 27% for their September issues,Canadian titles Flare, Fashion and Elle Canada are only down slightly.Fashion was down 10 pages from last year's 206, but Lilia Lozinski

Quote, unquote: Cultural program spending depends on your definition

During the final budgetary year of former prime minister Paul Martin's government, $18.06 of every $1,000 spent by the government was spent on cultural programs. That jumped in Harper's first year in government to $19.54 but by this year it has fallen back to about where the Liberals were at $18.23 of every $1,000 spent by the government.-- From an excellent, long and detailed report by

"Spot our ad" campaign used by Urbanology magazine to build readership

Urbanology magazine has a creative new readership building campaign that gets readers to spot and snap pictures of their subway ads and e-mail them in.According to a story in Marketing magazine, the campaign is in part financed by a $23,000 grant from the magazine fund of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.Anyone who snaps a picture of a “Content that Matters” ad running in Toronto’s

Naked Eye publisher charged wtih gangsterism and fraud

Masthead magazine has published an updated report on the arrest of the publisher of Naked Eye magazine. Burton Rice, publisher of Naked Eye magazine, was arrested on June 3 after police raided a warehouse where, according to authorities, safes containing $3.4 million in cash were discovered. Rice, 34, has been charged with gangsterism, fraud exceeding $5,000, and conspiracy as part of a two-year

Waste not guide to paper from British magazine publishing industry

There's a good primer on saving on paper waste in magazines from the Periodical Publishers Association of Great Britain. [thanks to Magazines Canada for alerting us to this]. While it deals with British conditions and paper sizes, it details what alert publishers can do to avoid waste when buying and managing paper through the entire process. Even though publishers rarely if ever buy their own

Plastic bag tax is working; one chain sees 70% decline in use

A month after implementing a 5-cent charge for plastic grocery bags, the Metro grocery chain has experienced a 70% decline in their use, according to a story in Solid Waste & Recycling magazine. Not only that, demand for reusable bags have gone up 5 times. Selena Fiacco, a spokesperson with Metro Ontario Inc., said that the results are encouraging because they confirm that customers are willing

Where's my magazine? Or where's my refund? ask readers

Generally, when a magazine folds there is one of two possible outcomes for the subscribers: the remainder of their subscriptions are filled by another, similar magazine; or the magazine just stops coming. In relatively few instances, the publisher refunds the subscriber's money for outstanding issues.Part of the reason why subscribers shrug and put up with what is essentially a breach of contract

Magazine world view

Twitter clears house as thousands of accounts deleted overnight (Brand Republic)Trade magazine pictured wrong nursery with child abuse inquiry story (Guardian) Bruno causes utter umlaut confusion at The Guardian (Press Gazette -- Axegrinder)Internet reaches over 625m global users with two-thirds using social networking sites (Brand Republic)Appetite for destruction? Barry Diller sees more misery

Adam Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews writer-director Max Mayer about Adam

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

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Magazine writer Andrew Nikiforuk wins prestigious award for tar sands book

Andrew Nikiforuk, an award winning Alberta magazine journalist and non-fiction book writer has been awarded the 8th annual Rachel Carson Environment Book Award from the U.S.-based Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ). (The award is named after the author of the groundbreaking environmental book Silent Spring, published in 1962 and widely credited with launching the environmental movement.)

Quote, unquote: Teens don't read? Oh, really

I start out by telling them, in a nice way, that they are misinformed. Clearly, teenagers multi-task and they are voracious with their media usage. But magazines have always been and continue to be a really important source for beauty and fashion trend information for young women. What has been so interesting to me is when you see the success of Twilight for example, which sold 16% of all books

Five ways to green your magazine

Bruce Jensen, group vice president of sales for Transcontinental Printing’s magazine, book & catalogue group, has a brief, commonsensical article for Folio: on "greening" the way magazines do business, written from a printer's perspective.I say common sense, because most publishers may know the following things, but don't always insist on doing them. Use low-volatility inks and coatings and go

List rental prices levelling off

Prices for list rentals -- used by magazine publishers, among others, to reach new audience -- have levelled off and in some cases have declined because of soft demand, according to information from the Worldata List Price Index, reported by the magazine Audience Development.Permission-based email b-to-b is the highest-priced category, with a straight average price of $288/M, a decrease of $11/M

Newspaper publishers band together to control use of, payment for content

Newspaper publishers in the U.S. are hoping that a consortium approach will allow them to control -- and be compensated for -- the use of their content. According to a story in Editor & Publisher magazine, more than 1,000 publishers, representing more than 50% of the top U.S. papers, has signed on to the Fair Syndication Consortium. AdBrite, an online advertising marketplace, has agreed to work

Readers fairly critical of high cost of Economist accessed on Kindle e-reader

U.S. readers of The Economist can now have wireless delivery of the magazine to their Kindle readers (Kindle or Kindle DX) for a fairly bracing $10.49 a month or $5.49 for a single, weekly issue, ordered through Amazon, according to a newsletter from publisher Ben Edwards. The magazine is one of about 30 titles Amazon is now offering for the e-readers, including some major titles such as The New

Enmeshed magazine part of campaign to save leatherback sea turtle

A magazine comes encased in a fishing net as part of an innovative direct mail campaign trying to save the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle. Marketing magazine reports that the campaign by the Canadian Sea Turtle Network was designed by ad agency Target Marketing and Communications in St. John's and coincided with a National Geographic article in its May 2009 issue, covering CSTN's

NUJ slams many internships as "bogus" free labour

The general secretary of the National Union of Journalists in Britain has slammed "bogus work experience" placements for exploiting aspiring journalists as free labour.According to a story in Press Gazette, Jeremy Dear said too many employers used internships as a way of getting work done for free and welcomed new government plans to improve internship standards.Dear’s comments follow the

Transcontinental Media said to be prepared to modify controversial freelance contract

Although the other side hasn't been heard from, Masthead reports that Transcontinental Media is prepared to modify or renegotiate its contentious "master" agreement for freelancers. Derek Finkle of the Canadian Writers' Group (CWG), who attended a meeting with senior executives at Transcontinental, said:“We’ve had a closed door discussion in good faith with them, but I don’t mind saying on the

Quebecor World becomes World Color Press as it emerges from bankruptcy

Quebecor World is to be renamed World Color Press as it is officially emerges from bankruptcy protection. The name change for the huge printer (it had been considering Novink as its new handle) brings the company around almost full circle; World Color was the major printing asset absorbed by Quebecor Inc. and merged with its subsidiary, Quebecor Printing, that resulted in Quebecor World becoming

Magazine world view

British government spending on traditional DM up by a third, but online catching up (Brand Republic)An ex-Entrepreneur writer lashes out (Folio:)Condé Nast hires consultants to ‘rethink’ business strategy (Folio:)The Economist Group acquires Congressional Quarterly (Folio:)News of the World paid royal phone hackers after convictions (Guardian)Changing the law to save newspapers: some modest

New publisher named at Calgary fly fishing magazine

Jennifer Bird has been named publisher of Fly Fusion magazine of Calgary, one of North America's leading fly fishing publications. She is also in charge of Fusion Books. The quarterly magazine, published by Bird Marketing Group, distributes 24,000 copies through a network of 200 specialty fly shops, wholesalers, distributors and retailers as well as by subscription.Chris Bird, who was publisher,

Web addresses in magazine ads drive traffic to advertisers

Putting web addresses (urls) in magazine ads makes it more likely that readers will go to advertiser websites, according to new research from Affinity reported by Media Post's Center for Media Research. Based on an analysis of 833 ads in seven different magazines in six different genres, the research reinforces earlier work that showed that, among other media, magazines are most effective

Sports Illustrated magazine iPhone app delivers swimsuit models

[This item has been updated]It was inevitable; Sport Illustrated magazine now has an iPhone app that, for a $3 fee, gives users access to 20 models from the magazine's 2009 swimsuit issue, according to a story on Tech Crunch. Commenters almost immediately began to diss the idea, asking why someone would pay three bucks to get something they could get for free anywhere on the internet.[Update:

Hurried public copyright consultations prepare for new bill in fall

A series of public consultations -- the first since 2001 -- on the shape of updated copyright legislation are being held this week and next across the country. The first round-table discussion was today (Monday) in Vancouver included academics and museum staff as well as representatives from the video game, software, television, music, movie and magazine industries, according to a story on CBC.ca

Quote, unquote: Vancouver's conflicted food scene

"Nobody in this southwest Canadian metropolis ever speaks badly of ingredients, unless the stuff comes from somewhere else. Vancouver is the heartland of every admirable (and sometimes infuriating) food cause you’ve ever encountered-local, sustainable, organic, and eco-gastronomical among them. Fish is frozen at sea, residents are expected to frequent farmers’ markets, tourists are advised to

New sustainable homes magazine targets residential sector

Ottawa-based Janam Publications has launched SABHomes a companion magazine to its three-year-old Sustainable Architecture & Building Magazine (SABMag). According to a story in Masthead, the new title focuses on the residential sector and targets both trade professionals and homeowners. It was launched in June at the National Green Building Conference in MontrealThe original SABMag focuses on

Muscle & Fitness bucks the gloom with robust page and revenue growth

Not all magazines or categories are hurting in this recession. According to a story in Forbes.com, Muscle & Fitness magazine, for body builders, has posted seven consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth in both pages and revenue. In the 2nd quarter of this year, its ad dollars grew 28% and pages 21%.Muscle & Fitness is published by Weider Publications, a subsidiary of American Media Inc. and

Adventures in branding: Toronto Life Square in receivership

It must have seemed a great promotional idea at the time (and, who knows, perhaps it still does.) St. Joseph Media obtained the naming rights to the mall at the northeast corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto and dubbed it Toronto Life Square after its flagship magazine. (Observers noted at the time that the neon-draped office-commercial complex wasn't exactly a square and that the branding was a

Magazine world view

Fortune Small Business, The Scientist take ASPBE's ‘magazine of the year’ honours (Folio:)Walter Cronkite: He never lost his fastball (Media Nation)Peter Preston: Making free news services pay, somehow (Guardian) Consumers Reports avoids layoffs (MediaWeek)Eye magazine launches stock imagery design awards (Brand Republic)Raptis appointed publisher of WSJ magazine (Brand Republic)

(500) Days of Summer Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writer Scott Neustadter about (500) Days of Summer

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

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Transcon being pressed by industry reps to change proposed freelance contract

The contentious new "master" agreement that Transcontinental Media is attempting to force all freelance writers to sign has resulted in a meeting with Transcon senior executives. While the meeting itself did not resolve the issue, it may eventually lead to a reconsideration or renegotiation of the terms of the agreement.Derek Finkle of the Canadian Writers Group, David Johnston, the executive

Canadian Freelance Union to hold inaugural meeting October 3

The quiescent Canadian Freelance Union is apparently rumbling to life. In a bulletin to members, interim president Michael OReilly says that the inaugural meeting of members will be held October 3, with a number of physical sites and electronic links for other places. A draft set of bylaws have been put together by members of the interim executive and interested CFU members and will soon be

J-Source is seeking a new editor-in-chief

[This post has been updated] J-Source, the website for The Canadian Journalism Project, is seeking a new editor-in-chief as Ivor Shapiro, an associate professor at Ryerson University's School of Journalism and J-Source's founding editor, steps down. The new EIC will start in January.The part-time job is said to involve about 10 hours a week (an estimate that most of us bloggers will look on with

Faith Today launches digital edition

Faith Today, the magazine of the Evangelical Christian Fellowship of Canada, is going digital. Its latest issue is online for free to all, but the digital edition and a two-year archive will only be available to paying subscribers. (A one-year print subscription is $24.15 and a single copy is $4.50.)

Ad spenders showing more optimism in spending plans

Could this be the bottom?Marketers are more optimistic than their agencies, as pessimism gives way to optimism in the world of advertising, according to the latest bi-monthly Advertiser Optimism Report released this week by Advertiser Perceptions Inc. According to a story in MediaDaily News, plans are improving for every medium in the U.S. except for local newspapers, and that digital media such

Quote, unquote: the lure of substance

“I think our success is an indication that there’s a cultural shift toward substance that can benefit magazines that write substantively about the subjects shaping our lives and futures. Perhaps more importantly, it’s an indication that strong ideas can still find a market.”-- Jay Lauf, publisher of The Atlantic, speculating about why the magazine's July-August "Ideas" issue increased revenue by

"Work with me here" -- the real world of vendor-client relationships

For all of you who struggle with selling magazine ads, this will seem eerily familiar...[hat tip to Ken McGoogan on the TFEW list]

Bonnie Fuller goes Hollywood, as EIC of celebrities website

Bonnie Fuller, the Canadian expat who made good in New York, has been quiet of late, after her ouster as queen of the tabloids.When she was removed last May from her position as vice-president and chief editorial director of American Media Inc., which publishes Star, Shape, Men's Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Natural Health, and The National Enquirer, it seemed that her meteoric career trajectory was

Paste readers care, they really care

The music magazine Paste was on its uppers two months ago and appealed to its readers for donations, lest it be necessary for it to close. Well, some 10,000 donations (!) later, it has raised $250,000. Editor-in-chief Josh Jackson says the campaign will wrap up this month. Donors receive exclusive tracks from artists including the Indigo Girls, Josh Rouse, Matthew Sweet and The Decemberists.

Chidley is special projects czar for Maclean's & Canadian Business

[This post has been updated]Canadian Business editor Joe Chidley (right) has been appointed to the position of editor and associate publisher, special projects unit, at Maclean's and Canadian Business magazines. The new position is effective immediately and Chidley will assume overall editorial responsibility for Maclean's university rankings and guide, as well as other important editorial

The wayback machine

It has been a while since we cranked up the wayback machine. Here's what was happening a year or two ago in Canadian Magazines.This time a year ago...You guys are afraid to talk about abortion, Maclean's tells its readersBayard Presse Canada buys out religious partnerMaclean's reader says sex numbers don't add upFront Page newsstand, an Edmonton fixture, to closeWill cultural mags be able to meet

Sway launches paid national distribution on newsstands

Sway, a controlled quarterly magazine for the black community, is branching out from the greater Toronto area to be distributed nationally.According to a story in Media in Canada, the magazine will now be available in all Chapters and Indigo stores. It will continue to be distributed free in most of the GTA, but a cover price of $4.95 will apply on the stands.

Quote, unquote: the changing subsidy model for journalism

Journalism written for that fraction of the population that follows the news closely has always been subsidized. For the last century, newspaper journalism had direct subsidy from advertisement and cross-subsidy from sports fans and coupon clippers who never really cared about the city council or the coup in Madagascar. The packages containing news have been so bundled and cross-funded that we’ve

Because they could...Wallpaper* prints white-on-white cover

Wallpaper magazine has produced a subscribers-only version of its current issue that has a white-on-white logo and a pictograph cover image or 'rebus' which paradoxically spells out "I hate design". According to a story in the Guardian, the only thing that distinguishes the type from the page is that the lettering has a lacquer finish, which makes them seem dove-grey when held in a certain

Zoomer publishers to channel content to TMXmoney.com

Zoomer Media Limited, the publishers of Zoomer magazine have announced they are providing online content to the website TMXmoney.com, which has more than one million unique visitors and 30 million pages views a month across North America.Zoomer's website 50plus.com will provide health, personal finance and lifestyle content to TMX, which operate various stock and bond markets, including the

Waddya want? Subway fare?

Rogers Communications owns the Blue Jays baseball club as well as the majority of the magazines in Canada (counting consumer and trade titles).The Blue Jays are the featured guests at a reunion of the 92/93 World Series-winning team as part of the Back2Back Weekend.Presumably, as the owners, Rogers gets a bunch of tickets for the gala dinner at the Carlu for free. It is offering two seats at its

Bridal blogger hopefuls compete for Weddingbells honeymoon trip

Weddingbells magazine (St. Joseph Media) is offering it readers who are in various stages of planning a 2010 wedding to compete for the right to blog for the magazine's website Weddingbells.ca Until September 4, contenders can enter in one of seven categories -- some of which are obvious (Traditional -- the traditional bells and whistles of a church ceremony, big party, sit-down dinner, toasts,

Amex's Travel + Leisure partners with Hudson News for Vancouver airport store

Magazine-branded stores are not exactly a new thing at airports (viz Maclean's at Toronto's Terminal 3), but the fit seems quite good for a partnership between American Express Publishing's Travel + Leisure magazine and Hudson News, which have jointly opened a new store at Vancouver International airport. A release says it's the first of what are expected to be several similar stores at Halifax

Maisonneuve publisher Derek Webster moves to be ME at Reader's Digest

[This post has been updated]Derek Webster, the founder and publisher of the highly respected and award-winning Maisonneuve magazine, has joined Reader's Digest as its managing editor. A release from the company today said that Webster will be in charge of daily operations of the magazine and will work with Robert Goyette, editor-in-chief, magazines and vice-president.It's not known who will

BCAMP board election announced

The BC Association of Magazine Publishers 2009/10 board of directors, elected at its annual general meeting June 27 include directors-at-large Dave Allen (CEO, Just Business People Magazine), Patrick Mackenzie (managing editor, subTerrain), Alex Moreau (publisher, Between The Cracks), Alexandra Samur (managing editor, Ricepaper) and Janine Verreault (editor, Youthink). They join newly appointed

McGraw Hill puts BusinessWeek magazine up for sale

BusinessWeek magazine is apparently being sold. According to a report by Bloomberg News, the parent company the McGraw-Hill has hired an investment bank Evercore Partners Inc. to handle the sale, which was apparently prompted by continued erosion of advertising. The magazine had $43.9 million in ad revenue in the 2nd quarter, down 30 percent from the same period a year ago; ad pages were

Magazine world view

September fashion magazines expected to be slim (Blog Magazine)GQ magazine goes to China (Blog Magazine)Sales fall for all quality daily newspapers in U.K. (Guardian)News of the World phone hacking: what the papers and blogs are saying (Guardian)Financial Times and Guardian form classified recruitment partnership (Brand Republic)AP, Media Standards Trust Propose News Microformat (paidContent.org)

International publishers ask European Union for copyright help

Straws in the copyright winds...A letter written to the European Union by a group of leading European newspaper and magazine publishers on Thursday asked for enhanced copyright protection to help them generate revenue online, according to a story in the New York Times. The publishers said widespread use of their work by online news aggregators and other Web sites was undermining their efforts to

Circulators asked to ponder what their association should be called

The current newsletter of the Circulation Management Association of Canada (CMC) asks its members to give some thought over the summer to what they think their organization should be called:As was also mentioned at our 2009 annual meeting, there is discussion on a possible name change for the CMC. Before we go any further, let’s just say this discussion is completely in the infancy stages and no

James Schamus - Lust, Caution Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriter, producer and studio head James Schamus about Lust, Caution

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

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Championing the champions of illustration

For those who read this blog and love illustration, I can highly recommend a posting by illustrator Tim O'Brien who points out that Mother Jones magazine has taken a real leadership role in the use of magazine illustration.This when illustrated covers are said, by some, not to work on newsstands and the cost of illustration is on the block with everything else in cash-strapped times.While O'Brien

Consumer Reports tries to follow its own advice and save money

Even magazines that are not dependent on 60% or more of their revenue from advertising are feeling the pinch of recession. Case in point is Consumer Reports magazine, which on principle accepts no ads at all and is negotiating with its unionized employees to cut $1.8 million from its budget, by which means it hopes to avoid layoffs. 300 of its 600 employees are members of The Newspaper

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From leather to spaghetti, printer offers "peel and sniff" print ads

Scent strips have been ubiquitous in recent years, particularly featuring perfumes in fashion-related magazines, for both men and women. Now, according to a story in Media in Canada, however, magazine printer Quebecor World is rolling out a "peel and sniff" technology called 'Flexappeal' that aims to involve consumers with scented print ads."Certainly peel has been used in the marketplace - a

Pages Books & Magazines of Toronto to close August 1

One of Canada's best known magazine and book stores, Pages on Queen Street West , is closing August 1, after 30 years, with no suggestion that it will locate elsewhere, according to a story in NOW magazine.For many arts and culture titles, this is a major blow because the store has been very supportive of indy publishing; for people in Toronto and visitors to the city, it is the go-to place for

Magazine world view

Kliger Named acting CEO at TV Guide (Folio:)New York Times Company ditches deadline for Boston Globe buyers (Guardian) Mother & Baby claims UK first with breastfeeding cover (Press Gazette) Online recommendations are most trusted forms of advertising (Brand Republic) Telegraph outsources production of weekly international edition (Guardian)George Pitts: Notes on Vibe magazine (grids)“Killing me

New York steps up to bolster and grow its media industries

So concerned is New York about the state of its media industries and the fundamental changes that are going on that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced plans to focus money and help on innovation, research, retraining and new technology, according to a story in Advertising Age. "New York City is the media capital of the world," Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement, after all, "but with the

Ryerson Review of Journalism wins 6 awards in AEJMC student magazine contest

The Ryerson Review of Journalism has won six awards in the student magazine awards of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC).This year’s competition attracted 232 entries from 23 universities from the United States and Canada. Judges for the contest, which included 13 categories, were publishers, editors and writers for consumer and specialized business

Diane Davy named executive director of Cultural Careers Council of Ontario

Diane Davy, a longtime player in the Canadian magazine and book publishing industry, has been appointed as the executive director of the Cultural Careers Council of Ontario. She succeeds Robert Johnston who is retiring after 10 years. She will assume her new post mid-September.“We are delighted to have Diane join us at CCCO. Her track record of leadership and growth in the cultural industries

Masthead mid-year tally: 12 magazine startups; 31 stops

Masthead magazine says so far this year it has tracked 31 magazine closures (or suspensions) and 12 startups. A handful of the shuttered books have continued to publish in some form online, while other publishers intend to relaunch their print magazine when the economy recovers. Masthead is also anticipating the debut of three new titles (plus one custom publication) this fall. Six of the trade

New international custom publishing awards launched

Interesting factoid: 15% of the work done in U.K. custom publishing is online. This tidbit was buried in a press release that says the Association of Publishing Agencies (APA), the trade body for the customer publishing industry, is launching the International Customer Publishing Awards under the theme "do you love editorial?".For the first time, the APA is inviting entries from abroad and

Hard and soft sells: magazines trend to different newsstand and sub covers

We see little of this trend in Canada but, given that ideas percolate north, we are probably going to see magazines offering different newsstand and subscription covers.Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni has a very good roundup of some mainstream U.S. titles that are doing sometimes radically different things for people who buy single copies and for subscribers. And he's not very impressed.I firmly

Toronto Star offshores its classifed department...to Buffalo

The Toronto Star is letting go 27 of the 32 Star employees in its classified advertising department and outsourcing the work to a firm in Buffalo."This latest attack on its own employees goes against every principle the Star upholds in its editorials," said Maureen Dawson, who chairs the Star unit of the Southern Ontario Newsmedia Guild. "The newspaper that calls itself the voice of the little

Courts approve Quebecor World reorganization; now the tax man has to say yes

The courts have approved the reorganization of Montreal-based printer Quebecor World, but it depends on whether the U.S. Internal Revenue Service approves the company’s proposed settlement of approximately $22.5 million in unpaid taxes, the court said.According to a story in Folio:, both a bankruptcy court in New York and Quebec’s Superior Court courts agreed that Quebecor’s noteholders, debtors

Maghound sub service slow off the mark

While some segments of the industry hailed Time Inc.'s Maghound subscription service, its results so far have been something of a disappointment.The service, whereby subscribers pay a monthly fee to get a set number of titles per month and can cancel, swap or switch at any time, has been negligible in terms of sales. According to a story in MediaWeek, sales are 1% or less.Nevertheless, Maghound

Two things worth reading

A little off-topic (we know you'll allow this, occasionally), but I recommend to readers two pieces of recent writing:First, Cintra Wilson has reprinted on her blog a chapter on Michael Jackson from her first book A Massive Swelling: Celebrity Re-examined as a Grotesque, Crippling Disease (2000. A Massive Swelling was (and is) a headlong and vastly entertaining rant about celebrity in our times

Directory analysis says U.S. saw a net loss of 92 magazines in first half of 2009

A posting today by MediaDaily News reports that there was a net loss of 92 magazine titles in Canada and the U.S. (279 closures versus 187 new titles) during the first 6 months of 2009. This, according to a search of the online database MediaFinder.com, owned by directory company Oxbridge Communications, publishers of the Standard Periodical Directory. This information must be viewed with a

Unlimited magazine, sans print, relaunches as an online publication

When it was announced that Unlimited magazine of Edmonton was being suspended as a print publication, observers could have been forgiven for looking sceptically at claims the magazine was going to be carried on as an online publication. There have been many such claims made in recent years when, in fact, the digital versions simply sank from sight.But when Ruth Kelly, the publisher, said there

Rogers Publishing acquires employee benefits publication from Source Media

Rogers Publishing Limited has bought Employee Benefit News Canada from New York-based SourceMedia and is re-positioning it as a cross-border edition of one of its major b2b magazines, Benefits Canada.Rogers already publishes Benefits Canada, Avantages and Working Well, titles written for executive and specialist management of pension and benefit plans at large Canadian employers. Beginning this

Magazine world view

Coca-Cola and Pepsi bury hatchet on Twitter (Blog magazine)Quincy Jones wants Vibe back (Folio:)Is 28 Percent sell-through just fine after all? (Folio:)Anna Wintour's tale: Vogue editor to appear in 'real-life Devil Wears Prada' (Guardian)Independent News & Media reduces stake in Indian media group (Guardian)Access Intelligence acquired Contexo (minOnline)Rival Dublin freesheets Herald AM and

Circumstances make cases: Hutterite farmers pose for magazine ad

Alberta Views magazine this month carries a full-page advertising for Alberta Milk, unusually featuring three three Hutterite men. According to a post on cbc.ca, the three, from the Hutterite Brethren of Viking are posed with sunglasses and suspenders in front of their herd of cows.Hutterites usually object to being photographed, for religious reasons. Mike Southwood, the general manager of

Tsang Media winding up most indy magazine ad sales in Canadian market

One of the biggest challenges for small, independent magazine titles in Canada, particularly in the arts and culture area, is selling advertising. Or, more particularly, finding someone who takes on the challenge of selling ads for indy titles and believes in their value.That's why it's unfortunate that Tsang Media, the rep house run by Olivia Tsang -- is winding up its operations in Canada. Ms

Canada Post maintains its 3% magazine mailing increase is reasonable

Canada Post says that its 3% increase for mailing magazines starting in January 2010 is the lowest in many years and is a reflection of the service's greater costs. Increases have been kept "to a reasonable level, well below our increasing costs to serve", it said, in a reply to a letter from Magazines Canada released last week which criticized the increase as "completely unjustified". (The CPC

The Tyee wins Edward R. Murrow journalism award

The independent B.C. web magazine The Tyee has received one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. According to a report from Canadian Press, the magazine has earned the Edward R. Murrow Award for best non-broadcast affiliated news website.The award is handed out by the Radio-Television News Directors Association and is named after the legendary American broadcast journalist. [In all, 51