Style at Home editor Jane Francisco named editor of Chatelaine

Jane Francisco, the editor-in-chief of Style at Home magazine, has been named editor-in-chief of Chatelaine, replacing Maryam Sanati, dismissed last week. Francisco was only named editor of Transcon's Style at Home in June, succeed the founding editor  Gail Johnston Habs, who retired at the end of May. Francisco  had been editor-in-chief of Wish magazine, which was closed by St. Joseph Media in

Brooklands, England, 2007

Econoline

I saw this sweet Econoline van in the parking lot of a Pick Your Part in Pomona. Someone who works there owns it but I couldn't find him. The 68 to 74's are my fav vans.

Advertisers and agency optimism returning to pre-recession levels, study says

A study of the long-term confidence of U.S.-based advertisers and ad agency buying executives says they have returned to a pre-recession level of optimism. All media have seen improvements.
According to a story in MediaDaily News,
The study[by Advertiser Perceptions Inc., a media research firm], which is based on an index of executives who plan to boost their ad spending over the next 12-months

Recession has hit the "written media" hard, says report on cultural sector

The average employment earnings of workers in the culture sector fell by 2.2 per cent in 2009 as the result of the recession, according to a new study released by the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC).  "The global recession is expected to reduce revenues for cultural enterprises by approximately $3.1 billion in 2009".Even as revenues are falling, the report says the number of self-employed

Roby Roberto

is from Italy, see if you can guess what he does? btw, he is very good at it too.

Sanati out as editor of Chatelaine as part of latest Rogers management cuts

The most high-profile layoff in the latest round of Rogers cuts is the dismissal of Chatelaine editor Maryam Sanati, a highly respected journalist who was promoted from deputy editor in February 2008 after piloting the magazine through some difficult times in an acting capacity after the sudden departure of editor Sara Angel. Sanati presided over the relaunch and redesign of the magazine in time

This Is Going To Be Good

With a narrowed big twin springer to boot. Caleb and JD keeping busy, progress reports here

Rogers lays off 900; no word yet on how many are in magazines

So far, we have no idea how many magazine jobs, if any, are part of the stunning 900 layoffs announced today by Rogers Communications Inc..

A Rogers spokesperson told CBC news that the cuts will be mainly executive and management staff and will represent about 3% of the total company work force of 30,000.

*If you're a Rogers employee and know some details on the breakdown of who's affected on

Major shakeup at Transcon Media

Major and game-changing management changes are being made at Transcontinental Media, Canada's largest consumer magazine publisher, with this morning's announcement that Jacqueline Howe, vice president and group publisher English Canada consumer publications in Toronto, and Marilyn Kielly, director, finance, will be leaving the company as their positions have been eliminated. There is a major

KRW trade magazine awards will go ahead in 2010

[This post has been updated]There will be an awards program for Canadian business-to-business and trade magazines in 2010.
The Kenneth R. Wilson Awards (KRWs), owned by Canadian Business Press CBP),  were not included in a recent announcement that its MagsU conference was being discontinued and that its professional development offerings would be done in partnership with the MagNet consortium. (

Big U.S. magazine companies to collaborate on digital publishing of their products

The largest U.S. magazine companies, which publish more than 50 of the best known magazines being published today are banding together to create a new company to publish digital editions of their products. According to a story in the New York Observer, Time Inc., Condé Nast and Hearst are expected to join the new company, to be headed on an interim basis by John Squires, executive vice-president

Journey Prize goes to Victoria writer for piece in Vancouver Review

Victoria short-story writer Yasuko Thanh won the $10,000 Writers' Trust of Canada /McLelland & Stewart Journey Prize for the piece "Floating Like the Dead," published in Vancouver Review magazine. The award was announced on Tuesday in Toronto at the same time that Vancouver author Annabel Lyon won the $25,000 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for her novel, The Golden Mean.
The awards recognize

The Road Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriter Joe Penhall and director John Hillcoat about The Road

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

Not Currently Available

PWAC hires former board member as new ED

The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) has hired a former board member and treasurer of the organization as its new executive director. Sandy Crawley begins full-time in the position on January 4, 2010.

Crawley has been labour relations and professional development manager at the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres for the past two years and has served as ED for the

Stan the Man

Football, birds, gambling, legend

Protest and Survive

Great sticker for a protest movement rally back in September in Italy to stop the Moto Guzzi factory moving. Posted over by mia fratello Davide.

Rulers...Say No More...

Quote, unquote: We got eyeballs, so what?

“As an industry we took a huge wrong turn. It was a new technology and we didn’t quite understand it. We had been told that if we got the eyeballs – in the usual digital dotcom jargon – the money would follow. Well, we got the eyeballs and the money hasn’t followed.” -- Spectator publisher Andrew Neil, speaking to the Independent's Ian Burrell.
“The first truth that we have to come to terms with

La Presse settles with three unions; one to go

La Presse has reached an agreement in principle with three unions, including editorial and newsroom staff, according to a story posted by CBC News. No details will be announced until the agreement is finalized. The Montreal newspaper threatened that it would close if its 8 unions didn't accept proposed cost cutting. With this latest settlement, only the union representing distribution workers has

Giving good job interviews: Ed2010 presents Toronto workshop on technique

Ed2010 is hosting a seminar on interview skills in Toronto this Thursday evening. There will be a panel discussion with Bonnie Munday of Best Health, Megan Griffith-Greene of Chatelaine and Jenny Pruegger of Transcontinental Media. Participants will then have an opportunity to try out their interview technique on one of the panelists. 

Cost is $25 and the event takes place Thursday, Novembe 26

The Long Beach Swap

Always a good way to spend a Sunday morning. Lots of friends selling or buying stuff or just hanging out. Top tip is go to Joes Jost after for a very cold beer and a Rye sandwich. What a nice day. Shame about the coffee.

Vanrilliant

Apparently this is for sale in some yard somewhere

In The Loop Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writer/director Armando Iannucci and co-stars Peter Capaldi and Mimi Kennedy about In The Loop

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

Not Currently Available

Big Franks Buggy, Chicago

Goose Neck.

Mike Erbe is my hero. Circa 1974.

Innovative application lets readers build their own newsletters

User-generated newsletters are an interesting development of probable interest to both consumer and b2b publishers. In effect, it takes personalization to a whole new level.

According to a posting on eMedia Vitals, the tech trade publisher IDG is about to launch TechDispenser, an application that enables users of its magazine websites to build custom newsletters based on the technology topics

How after-deadline, after publication video augments Canadian Geographic story

Canadian Geographic managing editor Dan Rubinstein has told us of a video initiative that demonstrates how the web can really augment a print product after its deadline.
There’s an article about the re-introduction of the black-footed ferret, which was gone from the Canadian wild for 70 years and once thought to be globally extinct. The story’s final paragraph is about the Oct. 2 release of the

A Tank