The Business of Magazines

[MissMagAddict]

That might not be so bad.

Oh Ingrid... why

 

[mikel]

Thats terrible news. I hope Interview will get through it.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

Me to, it would be a real shame if such an iconic magazine folds.

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com

Charla Lawhon, longtime managing editor of In Style, is leaving the magazine after a 15-year run. She will stay at the Time Inc. title until mid-April, after which she plans to join an online startup that will marry fashion, beauty and celebrity.

“In Style has been such a great experience on every level,” Lawhon told WWD exclusively Thursday evening. “Having gotten interested and seduced by the digital space, [I believe] things either keep moving or keep changing or you end up at a stopping point. I have that itch to get involved with shaping something new.”

Lawhon is used to start-ups: she helped launch In Style in 1993 with Martha Nelson, who is now editor of Time Inc.’s Style and Entertainment Group, comprised of People, People en Español, People StyleWatch, Entertainment Weekly, In Style and Essence. Lawhon was appointed the magazine’s deputy editor in March 1994 and became executive editor in December 1998. Four years later, she took over as managing editor from Nelson when she became managing editor of People. In September, Lawhon was elevated to editor, In Style Group, presiding over all of the title’s print brands, including In Style Specials and the international editions, as well as instyle.com.

Lawhon said she’d been thinking about stepping down for nearly a year, but after the holidays started to make her plan. Though she disclosed few details about her new venture, she is said to have been meeting with several major studios. Lawhon said she will not have an editor’s role at her new firm. Her move to digital, she added, is not representative of her lack of support for the magazine business. “I love magazines. I love not only reading them but what they do for women. I love the process, and being associated with the other professionals in the business. But there are other ways to present the information and get the reader-user involved. And it’s exciting to explore those other possibilities and see how far you can push it.”

As In Style’s circulation and advertising pages grew, other magazines began applying its formula. The title’s challenge has been to remain timely while celebrity weeklies and online outlets cover the same news. In Style’s Web site helped offset those pressures, and last year the magazine introduced sweeping changes: a redesign, with new sections, more fashion and product pages, and several new editors, including managing editor Ariel Foxman, who took over the day-to-day responsibilities of the magazine.

The changes helped In Style buck the relatively dismal ad and circulation environment. In the second half of 2008, total paid and verified circulation grew to 1.76 million, a 2 percent improvement over the same period a year prior. Newsstand sales grew 5.8 percent, to 740,000, making it the second largest newsstand seller among women’s monthly magazines behind Cosmopolitan.

Prior to In Style, Lawhon worked at Meredith Corp. as managing editor of Metropolitan Home, and editorial services director for Meredith Design Group, comprising Metropolitan Home, Traditional Home and Country Home magazines.

Lawhon’s departure follows publisher Lynette Harrison Brubaker’s decision to exit In Style last month.

 

[MissMagAddict]

The End of Print [as we know it]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IohiLAtmeqY

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com

TOUGH MONTH: Ad pages continue their slide through April — especially at the core fashion books, according to the latest figures from Media Industry Newsletter. All of the women’s and men’s fashion magazines lost 20 percent or more ad pages in the month. Despite featuring Men’s Vogue as a special flip cover on the issue, Vogue still carried 42 percent fewer pages (152) than in April 2007. Among other women’s titles, O, the Oprah Magazine carried 94 pages in April, 42 percent less than a year ago; Harper’s Bazaar declined 28 percent to 114; Allure gathered 35 percent fewer pages, or 104; Cosmopolitan’s pages dropped 32 percent, to 105; W declined 49 percent to 75; Lucky’s pages fell 31 percent, to 112; Glamour reported a 24 percent decline, to 154, and In Style carried 27 percent fewer pages, with 255.

However, some titles have improved their paging during the month. In the women’s service category, Ladies’ Home Journal reported a 16 percent increase in pages, to 136, while Family Circle reported a 12 percent gain, to 169. Family Circle is one of the few books posting an increase year-to-date, having grown pages 8 percent, to 498. More, another Meredith Corp. magazine, reported a 12 percent increase for its April issue, to 92 pages. Reader’s Digest carried 78 pages, three more than in April 2007. People StyleWatch carried 65 pages this April, 11 more than in last year’s comparable issue. Aside from the corporate sales packages Meredith can create across its titles to help boost business, the gainers also benefited from packaged goods and pharmaceutical ads, which tend to favor larger circulation, mass market magazines.

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com

TO THE NATION’S CAPITAL: Robin Givhan, staff writer at The Washington Post, will be moving to Washington to cover Michelle Obama, the First Family and the assorted cultural and social issues that surround them. Givhan, who currently is based in New York, told WWD she’ll continue to write a weekly column that will focus on fashion but that could include anything from a designer, the shows or a “politician looking especially appalling.” Givhan is taking over for DeNeen Brown, who will now focus on stories about people “on the edge,” such as the poor, the uneducated, the disenfranchised and “race in the age of Obama.”

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com

SISCHY, BRANT TAKE ON VOGUE: Ingrid Sischy and Sandra Brant are moving farther into Europe — and into Vogue territory. On Monday, the two were named international editors of German Vogue and Russian Vogue, according to Jonathan Newhouse, chairman of Condé Nast International. They hold similar titles at Italian Vanity Fair and Spanish Vanity Fair. “Ingrid and Sandy are a unique journalistic team, full of ideas and with strong ties to the worlds of Hollywood, fashion and the arts. They command enormous respect in the industry,” said Newhouse. “It is great that they can contribute their considerable talents to our magazines in these four markets.”

Newhouse said Sischy and Brant would work closely with Christiane Arp, editor in chief of German Vogue, and Aliona Doletskaya, editor in chief of Russian Vogue.

Sischy and Brant joined the staff of Italian Vanity Fair in May, and Spanish Vanity Fair when it was launched in September. The Vogue and Vanity Fair roles were specially created for them by Newhouse. The duo’s role is to leverage their contacts and experience over a broad range of fields including fashion, film, theater and the arts. Brant was previously the chief executive officer, president and publisher of Brant Publications, which published Interview, Art in America and The Magazine Antiques. Sischy was the editor of Interview. Sischy has been a contributing editor of American Vanity Fair since 1997.

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com

TALK ABOUT INTERVIEW: Interview magazine isn’t making many friends with its freelancers these days. Some writers that have contributed to the pages of the magazine since Glenn O’Brien and Fabien Baron took over as co-editorial directors in February 2008 (Baron left in January) say e-mails and phone calls have gone unanswered regarding payment. Under a headline “Topic: Interview Magazine = “not paying right now,” on Mediabistro.com, one commenter said: “As of today [Feb. 11], I checked my invoice status with them and was told ‘funds are tight’ and that all the writers will be paid, but ‘not right now.’” A similar string of comments from others follow, the most recent posted as of Monday. Sources close to the title add Baron and Karl Templer, former creative director, to the list of the unpaid, although a spokeswoman firmly denied the speculation. Baron declined to comment and Templer did not return calls.

Baron was succeeded by the M/M (Paris) as creative directors, and they’ve already started work at the title, while Templer, who also left in January, was succeeded by Joe McKenna, who was named fashion director. McKenna will be on the masthead as of the June issue, the spokeswoman said.

There is also widespread talk in publishing and art circles that Peter Brant of Brant Publications — which publishes Interview as well as Art in America and The Magazine Antiques — has sought to make deals with New York galleries in exchange for credit. Several sources said Brant has asked galleries for discounts on artworks in exchange for ad pages in Interview. But, as one source pointed out, “Nobody is buying art these days, so the galleries are probably pleased. Even with a discount they’re still making a profit on a sale.”

The Brant Publications spokeswoman told WWD that no trade deals with any advertisers have been made, adding the company does not discuss any contracts.

Meanwhile, in what could be taken as a bit of good news for those who have gone unpaid: Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Brant recently sold a 1976 Andy Warhol painting of a cocker spaniel, for $360,000.

 

[tigerrouge]

For God's sake, Interview, pay your freelancers, maintain good relations with them, preserve your reputation, then stop outsourcing the work for a short while, get the in-house staff to work twice as hard to produce the issues, and when funds start flowing again, get the freelancers back, who'll want to work with you on sympathetic terms because you made the effort to pay them when times were hard for everyone.

 

[j'adorekapusta]

The whole cool team is coming together for Katie Grand’s long anticipated magazine, LOVE.

Recently announced: Isaac Lock was appointed Deputy Editor of Katie Grand’s LOVE, the new bi-annual style magazine from Conde Nast.

Additional LOVE MASTHEAD includes:

Editor-in-Chief: Katie Grand
Creative Director: Lee Swillingham
Creative Director: Stuart Spalding
Senior Editor: Murray Healy
Deputy Editor: Isaac Lock
Fashion Director: Victoria Young
Senior Fashion Editor: Tim Clifton-Green
Senior Fashion Editor-at-Large: Francesca Burns
Senior Contributing Fashion Editor: Joe McKenna
Senior Contributing Editor: Paul Flynn
Entertainment Editor: Greg Krelenstein for Starworks
Editorial Consultant: Mark Frith
Fashion Editor: Anders Thomsen
Fashion Editor: Phoebe Arnold
Fashion Editor: Kimi O’Neill
Associate Publisher: Amie Martin
Special Projects: Catherine Russell
Press & Publicity: Mandi Lennard Publicity Ltd
We look forward to a beautiful ride…

Starworks

 

[Manuva]

Alpha Media Shutters Blender

Alpha Media Group closed Blender magazine today, eliminating about 30 jobs and reducing its portfolio of titles to Maxim alone. The April issue of Blender out now will be its last.

The decision, delivered to Blender staff in a meeting this morning, came as part of broader changes that also included the departure of Alpha co-CEO Glenn Rosenbloom and the integration of editorial staff for Maxim and Maxim Digital.

The remaining CEO, Stephen Duggan, said in a company memo that the company was closing Blender with great sadness. "Since 2001, Blender has provided unmatched music coverage and entertainment news in its unique voice to a profoundly dedicated audience of music enthusiasts," Mr. Duggan wrote. "We are particularly grateful to the sales team and to the tremendously talented editorial staff for their hard work and commitment to Blender."

Joe Levy, who was editor in chief at Blender, was named editor in chief of the combined Maxim editorial operation. Jim Kaminsky, Maxim magazine's editor in chief, is leaving the company. Ben Madden continues as group publisher. Jay Woodruff, editor in chief of Maxim Digital, was named chief content officer at Maxim. After the changes, Alpha will continue to employ 134 staffers.

source: adage.com

 

[nyc_art_style]

omg the people at blender didn't even get a warning.

 

[buhlack7]

hey guys!

i was wondering where i can find listings of magazines in Germany.
any direction would help!

thanks!

 

[tigerrouge]

MediaGuardian reports that The Daily Mail drops Alexandra's column. It was a light look at fashion, a quick read, like an editor's note in six bitesize sections:

Vogue editor Shulman loses Daily Mail fashion column

Stephen Brook
Tuesday 31 March 2009

The Daily Mail has dropped Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman's weekly fashion column after budget cuts.

Shulman's hiring from the Daily Telegraph in 2006 was regarded as a great coup by the Daily Mail and the paper promoted her as its voice of fashion on Saturdays. The paper will now rely on Liz Jones, who also writes a fashion column in the Monday Life & Style section.

"They rang me last week and said they were looking at their budget and that they wanted to stop the column," Shulman told MediaGuardian.co.uk

"They were very nice about it and I have to say that I think everyone's looking at their contributors with what they can do with their budgets and I don't bear them any ill will," she said.

"As an editor myself I can hardly be critical of people who drop a column. Fleet Street fashion coverage in general is very good. There's masses of it and I think it sells papers. I think everybody likes looking at the images you get with fashion coverage. I'm sad to lose it but I completely understand as a columnist you have to know that this doesn't last for ever."

Shulman – appointed editor of Vogue in 1992 – is one of Britain's most quoted authorities on fashion trends.

She started her career in journalism at Tatler in 1982 and spent a year at the Sunday Telegraph in 1987. In the 1990s she became editor of GQ and wrote a weekly style notebook for the Daily Telegraph from 1996.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/31/alexandra-shulman-daily-mail-dropped

 

[tigerrouge]

MediaGuardian reveals some cutbacks at Conde Nast:

Condé Nast cuts back staff - and flowers

Stephen Brook
Tuesday 31 March 2009

Condé Nast has made a number of staff redundant and is not replacing other departees in a sign that the recession has hit the glossy magazine publisher.

Even the company's flower budget, a symbol of the publisher's upmarket and aspirational positioning, has been cut, as has its entertainment budget. Staff have also been told to be prudent in their overseas travel.

A spokeswoman said the company was operating prudently and deciding to leave positions vacant on a "job by job" basis.

Since November 2008, 43 people have resigned from the company, with 22 positions left vacant. The company has filled 21 of those vacancies and will review other positions at a later date.

Three people were made redundant at Easy Living and there have been a further four redundancies at the company's digital division, CondéNet UK. But the headcount at the digital division will remain at 42 because some staff from CondéNet International will move to the UK team. There have also been three voluntary redundancies in the postroom.

However, Condé Nast has hired journalists to launch the style magazine Love and the technology magazine Wired UK, which will stage a launch party tonight at the Skylon restaurant on London's South Bank.

"Overall we now have approximately 20 more people on the Condé Nast payroll than we did a year ago," said a spokeswoman.

In February the Condé Nast managing director, Nicholas Coleridge, admitted he had ordered staff to take "slightly fewer taxis", and is "not in too much of a hurry to replace people if they leave".

Also last month the rival publisher National Magazine Company, which owns titles including Esquire and Cosmopolitan, announced it was making 100 people redundant – 15% of its workforce. The outgoing NatMags chief executive, Duncan Edwards, said market conditions were the worst in 20 years.

Earlier this month Bauer Media closed men's magazine Arena, putting 12 jobs at risk. Bauer also cut 15 jobs from its Heat and Q radio stations at the start of the month.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/31/conde-nast-downturn

 

[tarsha]

Maxim Magazine UK

Maxim, one of the titles synonymous with the mid-1990s lads' mag boom, is closing its UK print edition after 14 years and will become online only in Britain from next month.

The final UK issue of the Dennis Publishing title, the June edition, will be on sale from 23 April. The US edition will replace it on newsstands in the UK.

Maxim was launched by Dennis in 1995 as the company's entry into the then booming lads' mag market that had been opened up by the success of titles such as Loaded.

"The Maxim brand remains the best-selling men's lifestyle magazine in the world, but Dennis Publishing must move with the times and recognise that the future of the brand in the UK is online," said the Dennis Publishing chief executive, James Tye.

"We are extremely proud of what Maxim UK has achieved: as a print magazine, it was at the forefront of the UK lifestyle market and as a website it will continue to inform and entertain thousands of readers every day," Tye added.

UK subscribers to Maxim will be offered subscriptions to the US edition or other Dennis Publishing men's lifestyle titles.

Dennis Publishing now holds the digital publishing rights to Maxim in the UK, which is licensed by Alpha Media, which bought the Maxim trademark in August 2007.

More details soon...

guardian.co.uk

 

[tigerrouge]

A Guardian blog reports Conde Nast sacks people from digital side of Wired while launching first issue of UK edition:

Condé Nast cull staff at Wired and Ars Technica

In a rather clumsy piece of planning, Condé Nast laid off a swathe of staff from its digital publications in the same week as the relaunched Wired UK magazine hits the shelves.

Valleywag reports than up to seven of the 17 staff at the excellent Ars Technica and Wired.com sites have been made redundant, and the suspicion that some online staff were sacrificed to secure print jobs.

Ars Technica is new to Conde Nast, which bought it for $25m last year. It's extremely harsh to cut the site back so soon, but Condé is extremely focused on the bottom line.

Both sites are extremely important to the ecosystem of tech news; is it too harsh to prune them brutally in a downturn? It is sometimes good to refocus and streamline a business, but what gets thrown out with that baby's bathwater?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/apr/02/conde-nast-magazines

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com

PAPER CHASE: Rei Kawakubo is collaborating with another surprising partner for her rotating “event” shop in Tokyo’s Aoyama district: Vogue Nippon. On May 28, Comme des Garçons and the fashion title will open a shop to mark Vogue Nippon’s 10th anniversary, billed as a magazine you can walk into — with a new theme, merchandise and exhibitions each month. Participants for the first month — in tandem with the manga-themed July issue — include Takashi Murakami, Chanel, Fendi, Loewe, Martin Margiela and Walter van Beirendonck. Kawakubo is charged with designing the space, and envisions a clash of energies from various designers and artists. The Vogue Nippon shop is slated to stay open until fall. The Aoyama shop was recently a showcase for Kawakubo’s collaboration on leather goods with Louis Vuitton.

 

[tarsha]

US Elle On-Sale Dates


hfmus.com