Kerry Mitchell, Ken Whyte's right-hand woman, let go from Rogers Consumer Publishing

It was announced today that two of the most senior publishing executives of Rogers Consumer Publishing have been let go. The most senior is Kerry Mitchell, the vice-president who had been a right hand and operative for president and publisher Ken Whyte. She had been with the company 9 years and had been involved in various firings and restructurings at magazines such as Chatelaine and Today's

Derek Webster leaving as Reader's Digest M.E. to do some writing

Derek Webster, the managing editor of Reader's Digest in Montreal, is leaving the publication as of October 20 in order to write full-time. This, according to a brief announcement signed by editor-in-chief Robert Goyette and president Tony Cioffi:We regret to announce that Managing Editor Derek Webster has decided to leave Reader’s Digest to devote himself to writing full-time. Derek came to

Deputy editor Jackie Kovacs the latest to abandon ship at Today's Parent

The exodus by staff of Today's Parent magazine, which has long been one of Canada's most successsful and respected magazine brands, continues with the imminent departure of deputy editor Jacqueline Kovacs. She has accepted a job as the managing editor of Professionally Speaking, the publication of the Ontario College of Teachers. Kovacs's departure means most of  the senior editorial team under

"Writers' editor" Youngblut leaving Calgary's Swerve to join Globe

Shelley Youngblut, the creator and editor of Swerve magazine at the Calgary Herald, is leaving the magazine to become a western editor for the Globe and Mail. She informed staff and contributors in a message on Friday. It's a blow to freelancers who found her eager for and open to new ideas, perhaps one of the principal reasons that Swerve won so many editorial awards.  As one writer told us:This

Budget cuts lead to dismissal of Homemaker's magazine editor in chief

September 2011 issue
Kathy Ullyott, Homemakers' magazine editor in chief, has left the magazine due to budget cuts. She recently led the 45-year-old magazine through a successful repositioning, and this year it won magazine of the year at the CSME Editors' Choice Awards.  
Homemaker's is published by Transcontinental Media, Canada's largest publisher of consumer magazines. Art director

Surprise layoff of Today's Parent art director

Jo-Anne Martin Grier, the art director of Today's Parent magazine, was let go last Thursday, to the considerable surprise of the staff. No public announcement has been made and no word yet on who will replace her. She had been in the position since January 2010.

Melony Ward leaving as publisher of Canadian Art magazine

Melony Ward
Melony Ward, the publisher of Canadian Art since 2000, is leaving the magazine, it was announced today. Ward, who was also on the board of Magazines Canada, is being replaced by Ann Webb in a reorganized role as CEO and executive director. A release from the board of the Canadian Art Foundation said that Webb will be responsible for the foundation's finances, strategic direction and

Alberta Magazine Publishers Assoc searching to replace executive director

[This post has been updated] It was a bit of a surprise to see on the weekend a posting for the position of executive director for the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association. Not only was Colleen Seto not returning in the fall, as expected after her maternity leave, but Andrew Mah, who had been acting ED, was not applying for the gig was asked to apply, but had other plans. Seto put up on the

BC Business editor Matt O'Grady resigns over story spiked by publisher

O'Grady
The editor-in-chief of BC Business magazine, Matt O'Grady, has resigned after publisher Peter Legge killed an investigative cover story as the magazine was going to press. Today was O'Grady's last day on the job.The spiked cover article, by Richard Littlemore, concerned a libel case won by former senator Ed Lawson against the Vancouver Sun's business columnist David Baines. The article

Time Inc. CEO leaves after barely six months on the job

Interesting juxtaposition. National Geographic wins magazine of the year for 2010 and the man who oversaw it is ejected from his job as CEO of Time Inc. after barely six months on the job. A posting from minonline says that John Q. Griffin has left as president of Time Inc.'s News Group (comprised of Fortune, Money, Time and Life.com). Griffin was the president of  National Geographic Society

Toronto Life art director Jessica Rose leaving the magazine after three years and a redesign

Jessica Rose, the Toronto Life art director who redesigned the magazine during her three years there, is moving on. According to a posting on Mastheadonline, she is leaving the magazine in June and moving to England. Rose was a surprise pick when she joined TL, mostly because she was an outsider with little magazine design experience. She said her makeover of the magazine which was launched last

Sharon McAuley takes a sabbatical from being Toronto Life publisher

The vice-president and group publisher of the urban group at St. Joseph Media, responsible for Toronto Life, Ottawa magazine and the Where publications is taking a breather. Sharon McAuley has been in the demanding job for 6 year and is taking a year's sabbatical, effective May 25th. Staff at St. Joe's were told in an internal memorandum from president Doug Knight that he regretted her decision:

Brian Segal retiring as president and CEO of Rogers Publishing

Brian Segal, the President and CEO of Rogers Publishing Limited, will be retiring at the end of August, staff were told today in a memorandum from Keith Pelley, the president of Rogers Media. The memorandum described Segal's career as "nothing short of spectacular".Fresh off being the president of the University of Guelph and, before that, president of Ryerson University (1980-88), Segal joined

Jared Bland, ME of The Walrus, to join publisher House of Anansi

Fresh off the launch of an anthology he edited for the benefit of PEN Canada, Jared Bland, the managing editor of The Walrus, is leaving to join the publishing firm House of Anansi. He'll leave a big gap in the front line of The Walrus, having played a key role in managing the publication and overseen the fiction, poetry and arts and culture sections of the magazine. He also blogged regularly for

Mary Berner steps down as Reader's Digest CEO, days after new board appointed

Mary Berner
Mary Berner, who in her four years as president and CEO of Reader's Digest Association Holding Ltd. led the company into -- and out of -- Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (August 2009 - February 2010), is stepping down. According to a story from min, the industry newsletterSuccessor in both roles is RDA senior VP/chief financial officer (since Nov. 2008) Tom Williams. In addition,

Val Maloney leaves as editor of Masthead magazine; joins Media in Canada

Val Maloney, the editor of the online magazine about magazines, Masthead, is leaving to take a new job at Media in Canada, an online media and marketing site. Maloney joined Masthead (published by North Island Graphics Media) in September 2009 after being an associate editor of five b2b titles at CLB Media. She was responsible for content in Masthead and its sister magazines Design Edge Canada

Scott Shortliffe leaves as Heritage director of magazines policy and programs

Scott Shortliffe, a fair-minded friend to Canadian magazines inside Canadian Heritage, is leaving his post as director of periodical publishing and programs to accept a promotion dealing with broadcasting and digital media in the same ministry. He will be deputy director general, broadcasting and digital communication, effective March 21. He has been working on the magazines files since June 2006

Caroline Connell leaving as editor in chief of Today's Parent

Staff at Today's Parent were told last Friday that editor Caroline Connell is leaving her post, somewhat abruptly, at the end of next week. No word given on the reasons for her departure. 

Connell has been a long-time employee at Rogers Publishing having joined Chatelaine as a senior editor in 1992 and being promoted to  managing editor in 1997. She moved over to Today's Parent in 2002 as senior

Founding editor of Design Edge Canada magazine leaves to join design firm

Ann Meredith Brown, the founding editor of Design Edge Canada magazine, is leaving to join the design firm Shikatani Lacroix as director of social media and public relations. Under Brown's leadership, the magazine (published by the same firm as publishes Mastheadonline) won the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors (CSME) award for best magazine in the trade division for three years in a row. She

Out with the old: top edit team at Editor & Publisher let go by new owners

Citing a need to go in new directions, the new owners of the venerable Editor & Publisher magazine have fired the top three editors. According to a story in Folio:, longtime editor Mark Fitzgerald, managing editor Shawn Moynihan and senior editor Jim Rosenberg were let go by Duncan McIntosh Co.
In the statement, Fitzgerald says he was told the company wants to take Editor & Publisher in an