Picture this: a boom in published illustration

The "Headlines" show of graduate work from the Sheridan College illustrator's program last week was short and sweet -- just three days' opportunity to see some extraordinary work at the Steam Whistle Brewery. Most every entrant had a stylish business card or handout, with a personal website. There was an excellent catalogue produced and sold for a very modest $15.The opening on Thursday night was

Online advertising in Canada tops $1 billion

Online advertising in Canada reached $1.01 billion dollars in 2006, according to a report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada. This is an 80% increase over the 2005 actuals of $562 million and considerably more than the IAB had predicted. The French market in Canada was about 21% of the total. Display ads were responsible for 36% of the total, search 35%, classified and directory ads

National Geographic branches out; always green, now wants to be seen as green

Funny, we thought that National Geographic, the yellow-bordered staple of many a living room bookcase, was pretty 'green' already. But given the current trend towards heightened ecological consciousness and environmental emphasis, the venerable publication and the Society which publishes it has apparently decided to draw some attention to what it has always done. According to a story in

John Wells & Bradley Whitford Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews writer-director-producer John Wells and actor-writer Bradley Whitford

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Canadian Wildlife Federation to launch climate change magazine called Checkerspot

[This post has been updated]The Canadian Wildlife Federation is taking the opportunity provided by the Green Living show in Toronto this weekend to launch a new magazine on climate change called Checkerspot. The name comes from the Edith's checkerspot (shown), a small orange, black and white butterfly whose changing life history has made it a symbol of the impacts of climate change. The

Designing the daily Dose

The Torontoist blog carries an interesting retrospective on the art of the 270 covers of the late daily magazine Dose. As you'll recall, CanWest MediaWorks killed the project after one year of publication.Former editor-in-chief Pema Hegan submitted to a q & a with Marc Lostracco about the creative process behind Dose's designs. Seen all together, the covers are much more impressive than they

Captive Media shutters Edmonton Life

Edmonton is down to one city magazine again. According to an item in mastheadonline (sub req'd), Edmonton Life has been closed, effective with its Spring 2007 issue.The magazine was launched only last May by Captive Media and recently cut back its frequency in the face of competition from the Edmonton edition of the Calgary-based Avenue. Captive owner Raymond Merhej blamed soft ad support,

Canada Council taking heat for good intentions gone awry

The Globe and Mail ran a story Wednesday by Val Ross saying "33 million spent and no one's happy" about the Canada Council's Supplementary Operating Fund Initiative.Ross even got some fundees on the record criticizing the process that the Council went through in distributing the one-time fund of $33 million it gave out to all disciplines. Among the issues raised by Ross were (and I'm paraphrasing

New paperless journal springs from the fallout at the Canadian Medical Association

After last year's ruckus at the Canadian Medical Association Journal, with the editorial team and most of the board resigning, one of the outcomes was expected to be a new journal that the dissenters felt would better serve the medical community. That journal has now been launched. It's called Open Medicine.The fomer editorial team who resigned -- John Hoey, the editor, and Ann Marie Todkill, the

There's no business like the show business for U.S. trade books

For the first time, American Business Media, representing many of the U.S. trade magazines, has found that non-print activities have eclipsed print advertising sales.According to a story in MediaPost's Research Brief, the face-to-face events industry (trade shows and events) is a rapidly growing, critical part of business media.Trade shows accounted for 36% ($11.3 billion) of revenue in 2006

Canada Post and CUPW come to terms; will this moderate rates?

Canada Post has concluded a 4-year agreement with its largest union, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). The new agreement will be in place until January 31, 2011.The agreement was tentatively reached February 8, but ratification by all members wasn't completed until April 22. Details of the agreement will be made public once the document is formally signed. It is known to provide a

National Magazine Awards finalists and special category winners announced

Neville Gilfoy will be receiving the coveted Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement at this year's National Magazine Awards. [UPDATE: see his reaction in an item in his hometown newspaper, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald.]The awards foundation released its list of the nominees for its 30th anniversary year. Other notable awards that were announced in advance:The Foundation's second annual Best

Hot Fuzz Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writer/director Edgar Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg about Hot Fuzz

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Magazines we like: Beyond

There are a few not-for-profit magazines that deliberately set out not to carry advertising; most do so because it is not to be had or because they lack the resources to pursue it. Beyond magazine, a photography magazine based in Calgary, is one example of a magazine that tried it, didn't like it, and stopped doing it. It was featured on Utne Reader's website recently in an item which said..."

Is this the shape of things to come?

“We think the traditional publisher’s role is kind of disappearing. Advertisers are looking for integrated programs so the agencies will have one source to go to for both print and online. We are changing our structure in anticipation of that for the day that it happens. In some cases it’s happened already.”-- Entrepreneur Media Inc. president Neil Perlman With that, the publishers of

Passing the Beaver hat

Effective with its August/September issue, The Beaver: Canada's History Magazine will have a new editor. Mark Reid was most recently the assistant news editor at CanWest News Service in Winnipeg.A graduate of both Dalhousie University and the University of King's College, Reid has worked as a journalist and editor in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta and Manitoba. He oversaw the development

The digital Walrus

Interesting story on Media in Canada about the various digital initiatives being taken at The Walrus magazine. The new management at the magazine seems to be getting some traction in pursuing new, revenue-producing initiatives.The magazine's website boasts a new "Media Centre," where digital content seekers can find everything from audio versions of content streamed by broadcast reading service

Isabelle Marcoux named vice-chair of Transcontinental

The gradual generational transfer of power at Transcontinental Inc., Canada's largest consumer magazine publisher, proceeds apace with the appointment of Isabelle Marcoux to the position of vice-chair of the company's board. It was announced in an ad in the Globe and Mail today.The daughter of founder and chair Remi Marcoux, Ms Marcoux, who is a lawyer, had been vice-president, corporate

Gzowski prize recognizes doing something good for literacy

If there's someone at your magazine who deserves to be recognized for services to literacy in this country, now's the time to enter them (or yourself) for the Peter Gzowski Award of Merit. It's a prize awarded by ABC Canada Literacy Foundation.The competition is open to all professional journalists working and residing in Canada. Journalists may submit their own work, or nominate the work of

New French language tween 'n' teen title launches

The hot parenting category continues to grow with the launch by the Publications TVA division of Quebecor Media of a new French-language title called Espace Parents, and accompanying website EspaceParents.ca. It will concentrate on "tweens and teens" and anyone who lives with them. According to a story in Media in Canada, circulation is 55,000 copies and the children's fashion company Souris

KRW finalists announced

The finalists in the premier awards program for trade publications in Canada have been announced. There are 10 finalists in 20 categories, selected from more than 700 entries. The awards administered by the Canadian Business Press,will be announced June 4 at a dinner held as part of Magazines University,at the Old Mill in Toronto. Gold and silver winners and three honourable mentions will be

Food industry ads to promote healthy food choices

We may not be seeing many changes in magazine ads being directed at parents to buy sugary and nutrition-deficient foods for their kids, but the food industry has pledged to significantly modify the ad messages aimed at kids under 12, largely on television."Junk food has replaced tobacco as the young’s Public Enemy #1," says followthemedia.com, a website that concentrates on European and North

Canada Council supplemental fund channels $550,000 to Canadian magazines

[NOTE: This posting has been updated.]The much-anticipated special supplementary grants from the Canada Council have resulted in Canadian magazines receiving about $584,000 or about 1.7% of the new money available.In the 2006 federal budget, the Canada Council for the Arts received a total of $50 million in additional one-time funding: $20 million for 2006-07 and $30 million for 2007-08. Of this

Condé Nast's Portfolio debuts, at last, and tips the scales at 332 pages

Condé Nast has finally, after almost two years gestation, launched Portfolio, a fat (332 pages, 185 pages of ads) and glossy business magazine cousin to Vogue and Vanity Fair. According to a story in the New York Times, the chairman of Condé Nast, S.I. Newhouse, is bullish on the business publishing category and impatient with the many sceptics who have wondered whether the idea would fly. “Damn

Today's Parent awards $50,000 to five individuals who helped kids

Today's Parent magazine is honouring five individuals who have made a significant different in children's lives with the fourth annual Kids' Sake Awards. The magazine donates $10,000 to each of the charities of their choice for a total of $50,000. ho have made a difference in children's lives. The presentations will be made at a special event on April 17 in Toronto.Details of the winners of the

Sheridan grad illustrators to showcase best work

Canada's only dedicated illustration program is holding a launch for its grad student show on April 26 at the Steam Whistle Brewery. All the work has been created by the 2007 graduates of Sheridan College’s renowned Bachelor of Applied Arts Illustration program [the illustration above is by Jeff Smalley]. The show will feature work that probes behind today's front-page news, say the organizers.

Helvetica turns 50

An interesting piece in today's Toronto Star about the Helvetica typeface, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Freelance writer Ryan Bigge looks at the plain and elegant swiss typeface that has spawned numerous imitators (including the pretender Arial) and now a film that is an advance sell-out for two showings in Toronto's Hot Docs festival. Typography is not simply a frou-frou debate

June Callwood dies at age 82

What can be said about the loss of June Callwood? Something that hasn't, justifiably, been said elsewhere. We should all be in awe of her career, her life, her accomplishments and the manner of her passing, at the age of 82. Diagnosed with cancer in 2004, she decided to let the disease take its course rather than undergo chemotherapy, enjoying what life she had left rather than ending her days

Are We Done Yet? Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriter Hank Nelken about Are We Done Yet?

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Herizons mentioned in dispatches

Nice plug for Herizons magazine in Utne Reader:The Canadian magazine Herizons illustrates that global feminism is alive and well, though not without continuing struggles and the occasional internal conflict. The quarterly nonprofit publication seeks to inform the feminist community of the latest news and campaign issues dealing with equality, reproductive rights, and child care. The Spring

MAG auto enthusiast titles sold to Primedia

A couple of young men who built a formidable print empire serving young, mostly male,muscle and performance car enthusiasts, sold their Toronto-based Modified Automotive Group MAG) to the a large American rival, Primedia. The deal was announced in a release from Primedia in February but was apparently not noticed in Canadian media until now. According to a story in mastheadonline (sub req'd), Rob

Teen People web venture to be wound up

Apparently it was not a brave, new world for TeenPeople.com, the online version of Teen People, which Time Inc has announced will be subsumed within the People magazine website. It has been less than a year since the print magazine was discontinued with a lot of bold talk about the digital future.The readers of Teen People were said to be more attuned to accessing the content online, making the

Shameless plug IV

The next session of So You Want to Start a Magazine?, an occasional two-day seminar (which I teach) is coming up At Ryerson University on Friday, April 27 and Saturday 28th. It's a program that is focussed on the practicalities of startups, with the emphasis on tips and templates for people who have a publishing idea and want to make it successful. To find out more, go here or go to the link at

Maclean's ME strikes back at U of Alberta president

Tony Keller, managing editor for special projects at Maclean's, has published a 2,000-word critique on the American website Inside HigherEd, suggesting that at least one Canadian university is cooking the books when it comes to releasing data about the entering grades of their undergraduate students.In particular, he focusses on the University of Alberta, whose president Indira Samarasakera last

U.S. Publishers Information Bureau cuts back reporting of ad pages and revenue

For 25 years, American magazine publishers have received monthly reports on ad pages and dollars booked in consumer magazines. Now, in what it has spun as an effort to provide "broader context", the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), a division of the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) is cutting back to quarterly reporting, effective the first quarter of 2007."[The] move is the latest in a

Toronto Life puts its brand up in lights on a key Toronto corner

St. Joseph Communications has bought the naming rights to a key Toronto intersection -- Yonge and Dundas -- and will brand the development there Toronto Life Square after its iconic flagship magazine. In a press release issued today, it was announced that the multi-use complex, called Metropolis while it was under construction, will open under the new name in the fall of 2007. The building is

Quote, unquote

No, the real issue here is that the magazine fails to convey a modicum of excitement about the subject at hand. It's the Bataan Death March of enthusiast publications.-- Larry Dobrow, reviewing Electronic Home magazinein Media Post's Magazine Rack columnDobrow takes off after a magazine that's beset with typos and fluff but also is boring. Remember the iron rule of publishing: don't bore the

What will the papers say?

Although it is fixated on newspapers, many magazine journalists and publishers make a point of reading the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR). Now this venerable magazine has undergone a transformative experience of its own, with a redesign showing up with its March/April issue. Of course, the cover story is a big piece by Robert Kuttner on the future of newspapers in the age of the

Moving pictures: big publishers plunging into video

The uneasy combination of print magazine publications and video is picking up momentum as major players set up their own video production deals. Time Inc. created its own in-house video division which will channel productions to some 130 various magazine websites and to cell phone screens. In March, Rodale Partners announced that it is partnering with video producer Brightcove to create Internet

Online sub sourcing no panacea, says Capell

It's a classic case of good news, bad news:More magazines are selling more subscriptions online than ever before, but the phenomenon seems to have peaked;Most subs come through the publishers own websites, but in order for online sourcing to grow, more reliance will have to be put on other people's sites, where payup is a problemThis, according to a story in MediaWeek, quoting circulation guru

Canadian Freethinker launched

A group of independent-minded folk have launched a new, bimonthly magazine called the Canadian Freethinker. It brings together content that was previously only available in a couple of newsletters. The inaugural issue is dated March/April, 2007. A single copy is $5.50, an annual subscription (6 issues) is $30. No word on what circulation is expected or whether advertising will be carried.The

The Hoax Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriter Bill Wheeler about The Hoax

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Tina Brown gets her due

Interesting longish post on the blog Gawker making the case that much of the good at David Remnick's New Yorker magazine is due to the superlative hires made by his predecessors, most particularly Tina Brown. Fascinating as such a parsing of the comings and goings can be for magazine junkies, even more fascinating is the sheer volume of talent that has flushed in and out of this iconic title in

Smashing idea -- an international logo design contest

Wow, there's a lot of good and interesting work going on out there. Smashing Magazine, a very interesting web publication out of Saarbrucken, Germany, that started just last August, held a competition for a new logo for its site. And in just three weeks, the ideas just poured in, from all around the globe. One of the finalists (the winner is to be announced tomorrow) is by someone from Canada (

The Week publishes a whole issue online, with single sponsor

“This is a wonderful time for advertisers. It feels like an explosion of creativity among our media partners. Their willingness to go to the next level has increased exponentially.”That was Deborah Wahl Meyer, vice president for marketing at Lexus in Torrance, Calif., complimenting The Week newsmagazine for its decision to publish one of its issues online rather than in print. According to a

Whither the freelance union?

The fledgling Canadian Freelance Union held an information meeting last night in Toronto. We'd be interested if anyone who attended wanted to give their comments on the event and what they think will happen next. (simply click on the Comments) link at the bottom of this message.

One progressive mag slags another over Afghanistan article

But shouldn't you guys be on the same side? A writer for the weekly online magazine Seven Oaks, Dave Markland, is quite critical of the methodology and viewpoint expressed in the March/April issue of This Magazine by Jared Ferrie, entitled "Staying the course: why Canada can't pull its troops out of Afghanistan."Markland says, for instanceIt is perhaps unfair to overly scrutinize Ferrie's views

Oh Baby! mag lands distribution expansion with Pharma Plus

The controlled quarterly parenting magalogue Oh Baby!, published by Hestia International, of Toronto, is increasing its circulation through a deal with Rexall Pharma Plus stores, according to a story in Media in Canada.Distribution will now be 175,000 copies: in addition to 100,000 copies distributed through Sears Canada, 50,000 will be available through Rexall Pharma Plus and another 25,000

Time's new look, looks familiar, says Maclean's:

In the note from the editors, Maclean's suggests this week that the much ballyhooed redesign of Time magazine looks an awful lot like Maclean's own redesign of November 2005.In concert with Maclean's centenary in November 2005, we waved goodbye to news rehashes, and cut back on lifestyle and service journalism. We committed ourselves to forward-looking coverage of news and current affairs. Our

Brunico founder sells out to investor group

Brunico Communications Inc., publishers of Strategy, Media In Canada, Playback, KidScreen, Realscreen and 'Boards has been sold to a group of private investors.Brunico's founder and executive publisher Jim Shenkman, who founded the company 20 years ago, will stay on full-time for a year or so as chairman and member of the senior management team, enabling a transition to the new management.

The healthy workplace and the healthy subscriber base

Your Workplace magazine is holding a major conference on healthy workplaces and, not coincidentally, giving interested conference goers a very good reason to become subscribers. A subscriber gets a $55 discount off the $325 cost of the day-long conference, which is being held in Kingston on April 13 and the Kingston Banquet and Conference Centre. A normal subscription costs $45.50 a year.The

Paton's YTV Whoa! spins off e-zine

YTV Whoa! magazine, the tween magazine put out by Paton Publishing (a subsidiary of Torstar's Metroland Media Group) has spun off an e-zine.Whoa! distributes 250,000 copies, four times a year through Pizza Hut restaurants, Indigo/Chapters and newsstands across Canada (plus 75,000 copies of a French version), according to a story in Media in Canada.An interactive sample of the e-zine can be seen

Canadian Geographic lays of 8 more staff; outsources customer service

More layoffs at Canadian Geographic. The word is that 8 people have been let go this week at the Ottawa-based magazine, six of them involved in the member services department which is now redundant with the announcement this week that fulfillment and member services will all be handled by Indas Limited. An earlier post detailed how Canadian Geographic's merchandise division had been shut down

Split between founders of Schizophrenia Digest and BP magazine

The partership between William J. McPhee, the founder and publisher of Fort Erie-based Schizophrenia Digest (SD) and the woman who sold the magazine and launched BP magazine, is at an end.In a release yesterday, it was announced that McPhee has taken over as President and CEO and will have sole responsibility for SD (both its Canadian and U.S. editions) and Joanne Doan will take over BP, U.S. and

Griffith-Greene named editor of Shameless

Shameless magazine has introduced Megan Griffith-Greene as the new editor. She will be taking over most editorial duties for Canada’s independent, alternative voice for teenage girls. She'll be further introduced at the launch of the spring issue at the NOW lounge in Toronto on Saturday, April 21 from 1-5. “We are thrilled to bring Megan on board,” say Shameless co-founders and co-editors Melinda

2 turns its couples makeover into web TV show

2: The Magazine for Couples, is celebrating its third anniversary by turning its popular couple makeover features into a web television show.In cooperation with Viral Media Group, the show will allow a behind-the-scenes view over nine episodes each quarter as a new couple gets their makeover. The debut series in conjunction with the magazine's spring issue is shot on location, including in

Ghostwriting for freelancers? A whole new meaning to "help wanted"

A freelancer advertises online for someone else, presumably another freelancer, to do their magazine writing work for them. Simple sub-contracting? This looks like something that would have been thought up by the writers of The Simpsons. The actual ad appeared on Craigslist and read, in part:I do the marketing and editing, you do the research and writing. I am an experienced and published

Canadian surfing magazine launched

A company better known for snow- and skateboard-related publications is launching what is said to be Canada's first surfing magazine. SBC Media Inc. of Toronto is to launch SBC Surf at first as a 172-page biannual, nominally published in Tofino, B.C.SBC, which has been around for 25 years, specializes in "action sports" and publishes Snowboard Canada, SBC Skateboard, SBC Wakeboard, Skier, SBC