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…

Changes at the top for a vital industry organization

As the song says, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”  (Lyrics from ‘Closing Time’ by Semisonic)

After 13 years, Nina Link, president and CEO of the Association of Magazine Media (formerly the MPA), announced this week she’ll be stepping down.

Link has the distinction of serving in that post longer than anyone else, and has shepherded the trade and lobbying organization through tumultuous times and sea changes in the industry.

During her tenure, magazine publishers have been pummeled by a historic recession, an explosion of online content and the emergence of digital platforms.  The organization itself is navigating the process of strategic rebranding, after implementing a name change, adjusting to lower revenues and reducing the staff by 25%.

Now the attention will focus on finding a successor, and on what traits and skills that person will need to face future challenges.

The influential organization is involved in key issues like postal reform, audience metrics and providing leadership in the transition to new media platforms.  But its most important role, according to board member and NEW YORK MAGAZINE* editor Larry Burstein, is to “convene competitors in a place where they can talk about their issues.”

Wednesday News Round-Up for May 23rd

It’s funny how something disappointing can turn out to be great.  Just last week we were wishing we had a pile-o-cash to invest in that snazzy new Facebook IPO.  Well, today we’re no richer, but at least we’re no poorer.  And here we are, still writing the news.  So soak up some information and, if you have time, scroll down to see if you’ve missed anything.  All titles with an asterisk* are included in our helpful Wooden Horse Database.

LUCKY* magazine may go all-digital, depending upon numbers for the upcoming fall issue, due out in August.  Despite a recent redesign, Lucky still is struggling.  Another possible scenario could include publishing the print magazine quarterly, with other months produced as digital issues…

THE NEW REPUBLIC* welcomed back Franklin Foer, ffoer@tnr.com and @FranklinFoer, as the magazine’s editor, after leaving that post two years ago. His previous stint as editor lasted for five years.  Foer was invited to return to the job by new owner Chris Hughes.  The move is part of Hughes’ broader plans for the publication.  He said last week that he will double the current editorial staff of 15…

THE HUFFINGTON POST* will feature a new special website section devoted to curated content from the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).  The section, which is set to debut in August, will include articles, blogs and interactive content…

MEN’S JOURNAL* unveiled a major website redesign, with a device-agnostic browser and a modular channel, multi-screen structure…

SEVENTEEN* snagged new deputy editor Caitlin Moscatello, cmoscatello@hearst.com and @caitmosc.  She begins on June 4, and comes to the magazine from REDBOOK*, where she was a senior editor…

SEVENTEEN* promoted Kimberly Tranell, ktranell@hearst.com and @ktranell, from health editor to a senior editor.  Tranell has been with the magazine since 2008…

INSIDE WEDDINGS* said goodbye to assistant editor Alison Bonn…

Will it kill them or make them stronger? RDA tries to cut its way to better health

The amputations apparently haven’t yet saved the patient.

Reader’s Digest Association (RDA) announced this week it will offer its bondholders a take-it-or-leave-it buy-out, but at a 5% discount.  The payout will be funded by proceeds from RDA’s sale of Allrecipes.com earlier this year, which brought in $175 million.  Bondholders of these senior secured notes have until June 14 to decide whether to accept the deal and take a “haircut” on their investments.

Despite recently selling both Allrecipes.com and EVERY DAY WITH RACHAEL RAY* to Meredith, the company still is hemorrhaging cash, losing nearly $57 million in the first quarter of this year.  Revenue for Q1 fell by almost 15%.

Somehow they continue to blame, in part, the weak performance of Every Day with Rachael Ray (how long can you ride that horse?), declining renewal rates at North American operations (what publisher doesn’t have that problem?) and soft international business.

The truth is that RDA has been in a constant state of financial upheaval since going private in 2007, going through a managed bankruptcy in 2009, and has never recovered.  Now the company is looking at unloading its lifestyle and entertainment direct business, and selling off some international properties.

If RDA prunes down to its core North American publishing business, what then?  How much can you cut before there’s not much left to save?

Writers, photogs and PR pros may find the editors distracted; this is why.

Wednesday News Round-Up for May 2nd

Whether you celebrated May Day with flower blooms and maypoles, or as a workers-of-the-world-unite kind of affair, we hope you welcomed the month in style.  Spring fever is running rampant, so before you succumb, catch up on the industry news.  All magazine titles with an asterisk* are included in the Wooden Horse Database.

GLAMOUR* magazine’s year-over-year sales are up 10% since its redesign…

THE AMERICAN PROSPECT* is soliciting $500,000 in donations to avoid ceasing print after the end of May.  Launched 22 years ago, the progressive magazine is in the red for the current fiscal year, and has informed the staff that June 6 could be their last day…

REAL EATS, the digital foodie magazine from Nomad Editions, will cease.  Editor Barbara Fairchild announced the move…

BODY SMART digital health magazine from Nomad Editions has ended, leaving UNCORKED as Nomad’s sole publication…

HEAVY DUTY TRUCKING publisher, family-owned B2B Newport Business Media, has been acquired by Bobit Business Media…

B2B publisher Questex sold off eight magazines in its industry and specialty group.  The current editorial, sales and support staffs will remain.  North Coast Media purchased PIT & QUARRY, LP GAS, PEST MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL, LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT, GOLFDOM and GPS WORLD.  OFFCIAL BOARD MARKETS and PAPERBOARD PACKAGING went to RISI, a company that monitors the forest products industry.  Terms of the deals have not been made public…

SAVEUR* magazine no longer has Dana Bowen as executive editor.  No replacement has been named…

EVERY DAY WITH RACHAEL RAY* will welcome Dana Bowen, no email available, as executive editor…

SHAPE* promoted Abby Lerner, alerner@shape.com, to executive web editor…

WHOLE LIVING* named Colleen Egan, cegan@marthastewart.com, as web editor…

POPULAR SCIENCE* promoted Jacob Ward, jacob.ward@bonniercorp.com and @_jacobward_, to editor-in-chief…

IN TOUCH WEEKLY* named Dan Wakeford, dwakeford@bauerpublishing.com and @danwakeford, as editor-in-chief, in addition to his current post as editor-in-chief at LIFE & STYLE*…

IN TOUCH WEEKLY* executive editor Deborah Baer reportedly is being replaced…

IN TOUCH WEEKLY* will welcome Alexis Chiu, achiu@bauerpublishing.com, as the new executive editor…

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER* will lose web editor Joseph Kapsch later this month…

INTERNET RETAILER hired Amy Dusto, amy@verticalwebmedia.com and @AmyDusto, as an associate editor…

2011 single copy sales numbers: What it tells us

It’s clearly not over yet.

The latest Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) report, which showed accelerated declines, hints at the continued and myriad challenges facing the industry.

New figures released this week by the ABC show an overall 10% drop in single copy sales of magazines for the second half of 2011, compared with the same period in 2010.  Subscriptions rose a very modest .07%, hardly enough to make up the difference.

Celebrity and women’s titles were among the biggest newsstand losers, with OK!  WEEKLY* falling more than 27%, VANITY FAIR* taking a nosedive of more than 20%, and even PEOPLE* down 12%.

And it’s not just gossip and glitz that took a hit.  Despite growth in subscriptions, THE ECONOMIST* dropped 13% and FORTUNE* sales fell another 17%.

Bright spots (and oh, how we need those) included niche and Hispanic magazines, where there still seems to be room for growth.

Also, publishing phenomenon GARDEN & GUN* saw single copy sales shoot up by nearly 46%.  Sales of Time Inc’s ALL YOU* rose by 15%, LATINA* increased more than 31% and SIEMPRE MUJER jumped by almost 28%.  Publications aimed at hobbyists and enthusiasts held up well as a category.

Titles tied to television shows and personalities had mixed results, and prove it’s risky to link a magazine with the fortunes of another medium or person.  Success story FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE* gained more than 16% at the newsstand.  In contrast, O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE* plummeted 32% and MARTHA STEWART LIVING* dropped 17%, now that neither woman has a signature television show.  ESPN THE MAGAZINE* fell 39%, and with soap operas a disappearing genre, SOAP OPERA DIGEST* was down 40%.

Copyright protected or free for all?

As magazines become more digital, ownership and use of their content get more controversial.

A new player has emerged in the tug-of-war between those who generate news and information content, and those who believe they should be free to access and use that content in any way they choose.

The Associated Press and 28 other news organizations have co-invested $30 million in NewsRight, a new venture created to license original news content, collect royalties and detect unauthorized commercial use of original content.  Two years in the making, the for-profit entity uses proprietary software developed by the AP, and it now stands as an independent business with a staff of 11.

NewsRight is designed to target heavy and commercial unauthorized use of copyrighted material.  Its primary mission is to work with digital entities that want to pay for and legally use content from member news organizations.  In addition, NewsRight will track content use not only to detect violations and collect royalties, but also to develop analytics that member news organizations can use in their business plans.

Advocates of digital democracy and a borderless internet may take a jaundiced view of the new venture.  Similar efforts have overreached, attempting to legally and financially browbeat small offenders who never saw any monetary gain.

Back in September, Wooden Horse brought you the story of Righthaven, a company employed by some news organizations to troll the internet in search of copyright infringement, then sue the offenders for monetary damages as a way of creating revenue for the newspapers.  Righthaven went after private individuals indiscriminately, often for small infractions, demanding egregious sums of money.  In the end, the courts ruled against the company and it went out of business.

But NewsRight is built on a more balanced approach, working to protect and monetize the content its news partners paid to create, rather than trying to make money off content through litigation.

Find more information on NewsRight at
http://bit.ly/yZx32g

Newsweek cuts issues to cut costs, and healthier rival Time follows suit

NEWSWEEK will skip publishing four issues this summer, in an effort to staunch the bleeding of cash.

In its original editorial calendar, the magazine scheduled just one dark week around the July 4th weekend. Now staffers have been furloughed the week of June 13-17, with no issue planned for June 20. Likewise, they won’t be coming into work the weeks before July 25 and August 22, since those issues also are cancelled.

Ray Chelstowski, Newsweek’s publisher, put a positive spin on the latest ad revenue figures by saying that, although the magazine’s year-over-year ad pages declined by 23%, it was “another indicator that our business is moving in the right direction.”

They are not alone in closing the doors and turning out the lights to save money. TIME magazine plans to go dark for a week in August, when usually it only does that for one week at the end of December. Yet, Time is in a healthier position, with ad pages up by 10.7%, double that of Newsweek. And due to extra issues commemorating the royal wedding and the killing of Osama bin Laden, Time still will publish its customary 51 issues this year.

So, can Newsweek diet its way to financial solvency by cutting days? And what does it mean for the magazine’s staff? Perhaps we’ll have some answers after Labor Day, when everyone gets back from the beach.

Newsweek sold to non-publisher

NEWSWEEK has been sold to stereo millionaire Sidney Harman, reportedly for $1 plus taking over the debt.  “He has pledged not only to continue to produce a lively, compelling and first-rate news magazine, but also an equally dynamic Newsweek.com, and he intends to keep a majority of Newsweek’s very talented staff,” said owner Washington Post Company Chairman Donald Graham.  Harman, 91, is founder and chairman emeritus of Harman International.  Washington Post Company bought the magazine in 1961.  It was founded in 1933.

Newsweek editor Jon Meacham

Newsweek editor Jon Meacham also announced he will be leaving the company once the sale is complete.

Happy 30th, Discover! Now, find a new owner

DISCOVER Magazine is up for sale – again – just in time for its 30th anniversary by private equity firms WallerSutton and Sandler Capital Management, backers of owner Discover Media.

Brokers for the deal have said this is not a fire sale; the owners will not sell unless a suitable buyer comes forth.  Despite a circulation of 700,000, the magazine has seen a steady decline in advertising revenue.  According to the Media Industry Newsletter, ad page revenue fell by 19% compared to last year and was down 13% overall in 2009.

But Discover Media CEO Henry Donahue told foliomag.com that the company is cash flow positive.  “The time is right to go out and look for new investment.”