Let the good times roll: Magazines Canada chair

Magazines Canada has issued a statement saying that, for Canadian magazines at least, the recession is over. “Canada’s magazines are back,” says Magazines Canada chair Terry Sellwood. “The economic downturn was very challenging for all publishers but we are seeing some good signs for the year ahead. With continued economic stability in Canada and supportive and predictable government

Transcon's Larivière joins ABC Canada board

Natalie Larivière, the president of Transcontinental Media (which publishes all its consumer and trade magazines)has joined the board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations' ABC Canada Board Committee.She has been with Transcontinental since 2006, having previously been president and CEO of the Quebecor Media Book Group.

Shuffle at MagsBC as president and treasurer resign

There have been major changes to the board of the Magazine Association of BC with the resignation of president Elizabeth Rains, treasurer Jennifer MacLeod and director at large Patrick Mackenzie. Macleod is leaving Color magazine in December.While no reason was given for Rains's resignation, it is said to be temporary and she intends to rejoin the board sometime in the future.Vice-president Kim

Bus shelter ads will promote the new wordmark, name and website of BC magazine association

The transit-using public in the lower Mainland of BC may perhaps get their first inkling of the new branding for Magazine Association of BC (formerly the British Columbia Magazine Publishers Association (BCAMP)). Starting August 16 and running until October 3 large bus shelter ads will feature the cover images of member magazines and the new wordmark and associated new website address (bcmags.com

BCAMP hits a bump, but recovers with variant on proposed name change

The B.C. Association of Magazine Publishers bumped up against protocol in seeking permission to change its name to Magazines BC. As a result, the association's newsletter reports, it has come up with a close approximation:Still, the recent annual general meeting decided to exercise discretion and, instead of approving the name change right away, to ask the member magazines to give their

Spacing magazine publisher stickhandles drive to legalize road hockey...CAR!

Small magazines sometimes feel they're preaching to the choir, as the saying goes, and may feel they have little influence. But Spacing magazine is proof of the thesis that having their kind of "bully pulpit" can sometimes give influence far larger than their paid circulation.Matt Blackett, the publisher and designer and general factotum of the urban affairs magazine seems to have tapped into a

International head of Bauer Media named FIPP president and CEO

The International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP) has named Chris Llewellyn, international managing director of Bauer Media, to be president and CEO.A member of the FIPP management board since 1999, Bauer served as the chair between 2005 and 2007, and succeeds Donald Kummerfeld who has been FIPP CEO since April 2001. Llewwellyn has been the international managing director of Bauer Media

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 (

Magazines Canada ramps up: when the going gets tough, the tough get going

In response to the storm of depressing magazine news these days, it's encouraging that Magazines Canada is taking several very worthwhile initiatives.Two new national association partners have joined the MagNet superconference, held each June (this year June 2 - 5) in Toronto. The Canadian Authors Association (CAA) will hold its annual conference at MagNet 2009, while the Editors' Association of

CBP prez says trade publishing association should stay independent

[This post has been updated.]Canadian Business Press president Phil Boyd has told Masthead magazine (sub req'd) that he is firmly in favour of maintaining an independent trade publishing organization. This comes on the heels of Rogers Media Publishing withdrawing its membership in CBP and announcing that it was in talks with Magazines Canada about a possible alliance.Boyd said that the two

What should we do about Indigo deal? asks the Book & Periodical Council

The Book and Periodical Council (BPC) is asking its members what stance the organization should take (if any) on the issue of Indigo Books & Music taking over all sales of books and periodicals to school libraries, with the blessing of the Ontario Liberal government.As you know, during the Ontario Provincial election Premier Dalton McGuinty announced $120 million in additional new funding over

Bob Sexton of Outdoor Canada new CSME president

The Canadian Society of Magazine Editors (CSME) has elected Bob Sexton, associate editor at Outdoor Canada, as its president, according to a report in mastheadonline (sub req'd).Sexton replaces Douglas Thompson, editor in chief at Canadian Home Workshop, who served as CSME president for three years. Thompson, currently studying for his MBA at the Odette School of Business at the University of