Wednesday News Round-Up for August 29th

Need a diversion from politicking and conventions?  You’ve come to the right place!  Nothing around here but magazine media news.  All magazine titles sporting an asterisk* are included in our helpful Wooden Horse Database.

ADVERTISING AGE* will introduce a redesign and repositioning on September 10.  In print since 1930, the weekly publication will focus on analysis rather than breaking news, reduce the trim size to 10 X 13” and end the practice of jumping articles from the magazine’s front to the back.  The new format also includes a renamed editorial and op-ed section, now called ‘Opinion,’ which will be moved from to the back-of-book…

BACKSTAGE will unveil a redesign for the print magazine on Thursday, August 30.  The website also has been redesigned.  Changes for the 52-year-old publication include upgraded glossy paper stock, decreasing the trim size from 11.5 X 15” to 9 X 10.875” and greater integration between the website and magazine…

THE WRITER* will not go on hiatus after the October issue, as previously announced last month.  Instead, the magazine will be purchased by Boston-based Madavor Media from current owner Kalmbach Publishing, and there should be no interruption for the print edition…

BIRDWATCHING* magazine will be acquired by Madavor Media…

BLOOMBERG INSIDER, a special edition glossy magazine showcasing Bloomberg brands and resources, will be in print during the two political conventions.  The new publication features exclusive stories by staffers from BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK*, Bloomberg View, Bloomberg LP, Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg BNA.  More than 10,000 copies will be distributed for free at both conventions.  Visit http://go.bloomberg.com/special-reports/report/bloomberg-insider for more information…

T: THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE will say goodbye to Editor-in-Chief Sally Singer at the end of August.  No replacement has been chosen…

US WEEKLY* named Alisandra Puliti, alisandra.puliti@usmagazine.com, as the new deputy news director…

PC GAMER* snagged new associate editor Omri Petitte, omri@pcgamer.com and @omripetitte…

PEOPLE EN ESPANOL welcomed new fashion and beauty editor Daniella Lopez, daniella_lopez@peoplemag.com…

AIR POLLUTION CONTROL named Jan Brenny, jbrenny@cscpub.com, as the publication’s new editor…

Friday News Round-Up for August 24th

One of the hottest feeds on the Twitter machine these days belongs to the Mars rover, Curiosity. As informative as it is engaging, @MarsCuriosity gives voice and personality to the visiting robot.  Check it out the next time you’re tweeting when you should be doing something else.  Grab the latest industry news while you’re here.  All titles with an asterisk* are included in our Wooden Horse Database.

SMITHSONIAN* magazine is unveiling a redesign with the September issue, to be released on August 27.  Under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Michael Caruso this year, the magazine has lured major name-brand writers to contribute and shifted to shorter, more accessible articles.  Now the look has been updated, using heavier glossy stock and new graphic design…

PREVENTION* ousted Editor-in-Chief Diane Salvatore on Thursday of this week.  Although circulation remains high at 2.8 million and newsstand sales are up, ad sales are reported to be disappointing…

NEW YORK MAGAZINE* snagged Rebecca Ramsey, rebecca_ramsey@nymag.com and @RebeccaRams, as the new fashion editor.  Ramsey comes to the magazine from LUCKY*, where she was a fashion market editor…

INSTYLE* co-founder and fashion director, Hal Rubenstein, will step down from his post in October…

O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE* promoted Kristina Lepore, klepore@hearst.com and @kristinalepore, to associate fashion market editor…

O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE* named Robin Beck, rbeck@hearst.com, as fashion market and accessories director…

O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE* hired Britton Taylor, btaylor@hearst.com, as a fashion assistant…

GQ* will welcome back Kevin Sintumuang, kevin_sintumuang@condenast.com and @sintumuang, as the new multimedia editor, overseeing editorial content for GQ.com.  In a previous stint, Sintumuang served at GQ as an associate editor…

GQ* promoted Will Welch, will_welch@condenast.com and @willwelch, to senior editor for style…

GQ* promoted Ted Stafford, ted_stafford@condenast.com, to fashion market director…

PC WORLD* said goodbye to Ginny Mies, associate editor covering audio players and phones…

NYLON* magazine welcomed back Rebecca Willa Davis, Rebecca@nylonmag.com and @RebeccaWD, as online executive editor…

OXYGEN* magazine promoted Helen Vong, hvong@oxygenmag.com and @HelenVong, from nutrition editor to deputy editor of digital content and special issues…

OXYGEN* magazine promoted Kirstyn Brown, kbrown@oxygenmag.com, from assistant editor to nutrition editor…

BUSINESS INSIDER* in July brought on board Jennifer Welsh, jwelch@businessinsider.com and @microbelover, as science editor…

Wednesday News Round-Up for August 22nd

Savor the late days of summer as you listen to the crickets, gorge on stone fruits and berries, and get more sun than you’re supposed to.  Check out our news bits to save time for more pleasant summer pursuits.  Magazine titles with an asterisk* can be found in our Wooden Horse Database.

The MPA, the magazine media industry trade association, named Mary Berner as the organization’s new President and CEO, as of September 17.  She succeeds outgoing CEO Nina Link.  Berner was CEO of Readers Digest Association from 2007 to 2011…

EATING WELL* will raise its rate base from 600,000 to 750,000, beginning with the July/August issue, representing an increase of 115%…

NINTENDO POWER will cease publication after 24 years in print.  Magazine staffers were informed about the move last week, and many will be transitioned to other Future US brand such as MAC LIFE* and GAMES RADAR*.  Nintendo Power’s current circulation is reported to be 475,000…

AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE* is increasing its frequency in 2013, from 12 issues per year to 13 per year…

O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE* no longer has assistant fashion editor Sara Mitzner, there since 2006…

MARIE CLAIRE* said goodbye to fashion features assistant Emily Layden…

AAA GOING PLACES* welcomed Jason Davis, jedavis@aaasouth.com and @JDavisMedia, as a senior editor…

In the first half of 2012, magazines compete for ‘The Weakest Title’

If it was a reality TV show, we might call it ‘The Weakest Title’ or ‘The Amazing Race to the Bottom.’

But unfortunately, it’s not a show; it’s an entire industry.

The most recent report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations paints a bleak picture of the magazine industry as a whole, as newsstand sales continued their steady descent during the first half of 2012.

Overall newsstand sales dropped nearly 10% with 21 of the top 25 magazines seeing losses.  The weakest contenders belong to the celebrity category.  The once-reliable PEOPLE* dropped by more than 18%.  US WEEKLY*, IN TOUCH WEEKLY*, and STAR* also saw double-digit declines.  Weekly news magazines, like NEWSWEEK* and TIME*, slumped further as well, still losing ground in the 24/7 news cycle.

Women’s and fashion titles took a hit as well.  VANITY FAIR* was down by nearly 19%, VOGUE* by more than 16% and COSMOPOLITAN* by over 15%.  The biggest loser in this category was WEIGHT WATCHERS*, which shed more than 27% of its single-copy sales.

There were some bright spots in food and shelter titles.  Sales of industry darling FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE* took off, rising almost 18%.  WOMAN’S DAY* and FAMILY CIRCLE* saw respective gains of 8% and 6%.  ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST* was up by more than 8%, proving we all need to dream a little.

For the first time, the ABC reported separate numbers for digital editions of magazines, which account for less than 2% of all copies sold.  The big winner, by a mile, was GAME INFORMER* with a digital circulation of 1.2 million.  Following at a distant second is MAXIM* with fewer than 300,000 digital copies.

Friday News Round-Up for August 3rd

Hope you’re all still enjoying the Oympics, when we watch sports that usually don’t get any spectator love from the masses, from dancing horses to trampoline to badminton to…let’s hear it guys…beach volleyball.  Anyhoo, glad you dropped by for some industry news.  Magazine titles with an asterisk* are part of the Wooden Horse Database.

BRIDES* magazine will return to a bimonthly publishing schedule beginning in January 2013.  Conde Nast increased the frequency to monthly back in January of 2010, when MODERN BRIDE* and ELEGANT BRIDE* were discontinued.  The move comes in the wake of sinking yeaer-over-year ad pages, down more than 11%, and newsstand sales that fell nearly 27% in the first half of 2012…

NEWSWEEK* magazine’s advertisers may be pulling back due to comments made last week by IAC’s Barry Diller about the print weekly’s future…

TWIN CITIES METRO magazine, published for the past six years by Minnesota-based Tiger Oak Media, will cease print when the final issue hits newsstands in September…

BON APPETIT* lost food editor Hunter Lewis…

SOUTHERN LIVING* snagged new executive editor Hunter Lewis, hunter_lewis@timeinc.com, who will oversee food content for the magazine…

TIME* promoted Steven James Snyder, steve_snyder@timeinc.com and @TheSnydes, to assistant managing editor…

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST* said goodbye to associate market editor Ellie Somerville…

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST* lost assistant market editor Courtney Peterson…

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST* bid farewell to editorial assistant Lauren Womack…

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST* named Carrie Hojnicki, carrie_hojnicki@condenst.com, as a new editorial assistant…

SUNSET* executive editor Christine Ryan has left the magazine. No replacement has been named…

IN TOUCH WEEKLY* no longer has fashion and beauty market editor Zahra Johnson.  No replacement has been named…

THE HUFFINGTON POST* promoted Marla Friedman, marla.friedman@huffingtonpost.com, from news editor to senior editor for the news desk…

SMARTMONEY* promoted Alice Hagge, alice.hagge@smartmoney.com, to website editor…

CANADIAN LIVING* Editor-in-Chief Susan Antonacci has left her post, but will remain with TC Media as executive director of brand development for ELLE CANADA and STYLE AT HOME…

THE HUFFINGTON POST CANADA added an ‘Impact’ section, focused on problems and solutions in Canadian society…

THE HUFFINGTON POST CANADA named current lifestyle managing editor Lisa Yeung, lisa.yeung@huffingtonpost.com, as editor for the new ‘Impact’ section, in addition to her other duties…

WIND SYSTEMS magazine appointed Sherri Mabry, sherri@windsystemsmag.com, as the new managing editor, replacing former editor Russ Willcut…

Wednesday News Round-Up for June 20th

The summer solstice (and longest day of the year) falls on June 21.  Even if you’re not the type of person who marks the occasion by traveling to Stonehenge, you can appreciate all that extra daylight.  Check out the news before you take advantage of the long summer day.  Titles with an asterisk* are part of the Wooden Horse Database.

REALITY WEEKLY*, which launched in January of this year, will go tablet-only in July or August due to disappointing print sales.  The magazine has been selling only 100,000 copies per week, rather than the hoped-for 200,000…

ELLE* will bring back the biannual spin-off magazine, ELLE ACCESSORIES.  The resurrected glossy is scheduled to hit newsstands on September 18.  Scroll down to read more about it in our blog…

HGTV MAGAZINE* will hike its rate base twice next year, to 700,000 in January of 2013 and to 800,000 in July.  The well-received magazine has released two successful test issues…

QUARTZ, the digital business publication from Atlantic Media, will launch in September of this year…

BALTIMORE MAGAZINE* will unveil a redesign on June 27…

COMPUTERWORLD* and CIO CANADA publisher, IT World Canada will cease all print products this month and will take its entire stable of B2B magazines all-digital…

RISK & INSURANCE* magazine now has Anne Freedman, afreedman@lrp.com, as a senior editor…

Wednesday News Round-Up for June 13th

Glad you stopped in to check out the news.  All titles with an asterisk* are part of the Wooden Horse Database.

FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE* will raise its rate base two more times in 2013, reaching 1.55 million by the release of the July/August issue.  This will be the eighth and ninth rate base hikes for the magazine, which premiered in 2009.  It continues to outperform other epicurean publications…

HUFFINGTON. (with a period in the title), the new iPad magazine from THE HUFFINGTON POST*, debuts on Thursday, June 14.  The digital publication employs a full-time staff of 14, and will be available through iTunes for free during the first month…

STAR* reportedly is initiating mass layoffs, with a half-dozen staffers let go on Friday, June 8.  The move is part of a restructuring at both Star and OK!* magazines…

TIME* magazine staffers are awaiting a report and recommendations from Bain & Co., which was brought in to consult in March of this year.  Time Inc is looking for ways to be more profitable…

SPIN* magazine, owned by Spin Media LLC, may be the subject of negotiations, leading to the publication’s acquisition by BuzzMedia…

CQ and ROLL CALL are getting closer to a complete merger, but insist the CQ banner won’t disappear.  The Economist Group bought CQ in 2009, and staff for the two publications have worked under the same roof since March of 2011…

ELLE* bid farewell to senior fashion news editor Nick Axelrod.  No replacement has been named…

PREVENTION* hired Amanda First, amanda.first@rodale.com and @amandafirst, as an editorial assistant…

NYLON* magazine brought in new web editor Jazzi McGilbert, jazzi@nylonmag.com and @jazzimcg…

FAMILY TIME magazine picked up new managing editor Mallory Szczepanski, Mallory@familytimemagazine.com and @MissMalloryS…

NEW JERSEY FAMILY magazine will lose editor Farn Dupre at the end of June…

AT HOME IN ARKANSAS hired new associate editor Rosemary Hallmark, rhallmark@athomearkansas.com and @rohallama…

Friday News Round-Up for May 25th

Well, it’s nice to know modern science is fixing our most pressing problems.  Researchers at MIT have discovered how to keep ketchup from backing up in the bottle, by coating the insides with a non-toxic material.  How many lives will be saved at barbecues by avoiding those dangerous rage-inducing ketchup clogs?  Anyhoo, something to think about if you’re at a cookout this holiday weekend, right?  Before you head out, pick up some news bites.  All titles with an asterisk* can be found in the Wooden Horse Database.

BEST LIFE*, the high-end men’s magazine that folded in 2009, will be resurrected by Rodale.  The newly-revived glossy will be released in the form of a special interest publication, covering topics like style, wealth, travel and fatherhood. Since its demise, Best Life has lived on as a front-of-book section in MEN’S HEALTH* magazine.  With a circulation of 300,000, it’s scheduled to hit newsstands on October 23.  Editorial director David Zinczenko will oversee the project…

JUST, the magazine of the Ontario Bar Association, made its debut on May 23, and will formally launch on June 1.  Sporting the tagline ‘For People with a Calling,’ the new publication will include a balance of industry and lifestyle content, and it replaces the organization’s previous magazine, BRIEFLY SPEAKING.  Just is produced by TC Media and will have a controlled circulation of 18,000.  The website, http://www.justmag.ca, is not yet active…

WP MAGAZINE, published by the Washington Post, named Joe Heim, no email available, @JoeHeim, as the new editor…

GLAMOUR* no longer has senior fashion and beauty online editor Danica Lo…

FORTUNE* promoted Matt Vella, matt_vella@fortune.com and @mattvella, to deputy technology editor…

IN TOUCH WEEKLY* and LIFE & STYLE* magazines now have Jared Shapiro, jshapiro@bauerpublishing.com and @Jarshap, as the new editorial director…

LIFE & STYLE* has brought in Terri White, twhite@bauerpublishing.com and @Terri_White, as the new executive editor…

LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL* home editor Beth Roehrig has left the magazine.  No replacement has been named…

STAR* magazine bid farewell to deputy news editor Melissa Cronin…

Friday News Round-Up for April 27th

It’s the last Friday in April, which in many states is Arbor Day.  So in memory of Johnny Appleseed and the great writer Shel Silverstein, we hope you were kind to a tree today.  Inhale that oxygen, people, and while you do, check out the news.  Magazine titles with an asterisk* are included in our helpful Wooden Horse Database.

LOUISIANA COOKIN’ magazine has been acquired by Hoffman Media, which plans to boost circulation to 75,000, ten times its current volume…

WOMAN’S DAY* executive editor Ellen Breslau, in her post since 2006, has left the magazine…

WOMAN’S DAY* hired Annemarie Conte, aconte@hearst.com and @annemarieconte, as the new executive editor.  She comes to the magazine from SEVENTEEN*, where she was deputy editor…

HEALTH* magazine lost senior fitness editor Su Reid-St. John…

BRIDES* will welcome new online associate editor Alyssa Wells, alyssa_wells@condenast.com and @alyssa_wells, beginning in May…

MANHATTAN* magazine Editor-in-Chief James Heidenry has left the publication.  A search is underway for his replacement…

STAR* magazine will welcome James Heidenry, jheidenry@amilink.com, as the new editor-in-chief beginning April 30…

STAR* magazine named Tim Plant, tplant@amilink.com, as the new executive editor…

OK! WEEKLY* moved out Editor-in-Chief Richard Spencer and named him as celebrity magazine group editorial director…

OK! WEEKLY* appointed Ryan Pienciak, ryan.pienciak@ok-magazine.com, as the new editor-in-chief…

OK! WEEKLY* named Leah Ginsberg, leah.ginsberg@ok-magazine.com, as the new executive editor…

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER* named Seth Abramovitch, seth.abramovitch@thr.com and @SethAbramovith, as website deputy editor…

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER* hired Erin Carlson, erin.carlson@thr.com and @erincarlson, as a staff editor for the website…

LA WEEKLY* promoted Amy Scattergood, ascattergood@laweekly.com and @AmyScattergood, to food editor…

Muy buena! Cosmo debuts its long-awaited Latina edition

COSMOPOLITAN FOR LATINAS, a new stand-alone print spin-off from COSMOPOLITAN* magazine, will hit newsstands next week on May 1.

Targeting English-speaking Latinas, the women’s lifestyle glossy will offer articles, tips and features on style, beauty, entertainment, ‘manthropology,’ relationships, career, finances, family, food, entertaining and culture, all tailored to bilingual, bicultural Hispanic women.

The magazine will be published twice in 2012, with plans to increase the frequency for 2013.  An initial circulation of 545,000 will be distributed nationwide, with a strong emphasis on top Hispanic markets in the US.  Editor-in-Chief Michelle Herrera Mulligan, mmulligan@hearst.com, is leading the publication.  For more information visit www.cosmopolitan.com/cosmo-for-latinas-premiere-issue.