Masthead News Archives
June 2007

June 29, 2007
Magazines score higher than TV and Internet
New cross-media research demonstrates that magazines score significantly higher than TV and the Internet in generating advertising receptivity. Magazines also score highest in all of the other key engagement measures, and are leaders in influencing web behaviour.

In the February, 2007 Simmons Engagement Study, magazines scored higher than TV and the Internet in all six categories of reader engagement: 

  • Inspirational—Readers feel an emotional connection with the magazine, program or site
  • Trustworthy—Readers trust it tells the truth and does not sensationalize
  • Life-Enhancing—Readers learn something that helps them make better decisions
  • Social Interaction—Readers gain fodder for conversations
  • Personal Timeout—Readers consider time reading/watching as special, quality time
  • Ad Attention/Receptivity—Readers find the advertising interesting and relevant
Gary Garland of Magazines Canada says print mags are "sitting at the top of the heap."

Gary Garland, executive director of advertising services at Magazines Canada is “not a bit surprised” by the findings. He attributes magazines’ high marks to both their comfy, “curl-up” appeal and the fact that readers have more control over their choice to linger (or not) over a story or ad in a magazine, compared to TV viewers who view on someone else’s schedule rather than their own.

“Magazines are becoming more relevant than ever, with advertisers shifting toward permission-based media, where the consumer is in control. With magazines and the web, you can read an ad, re-read it, save it, all those things.

“Well beyond that, though, magazines are storehouses of information and facts. People are drawn to a certain title because it delivers information of interest to them, and the mood has matched the moment. They’re in there, and they’re finding something of use, and that encourages them to then go somewhere else to get more information on products, services or concepts.”

Other studies show that print and the web not only coexist just fine but are mutually beneficial. A Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 9) by BIGresearch and other studies by Roper Reports (2005) and the American Advertising Federation (2006) say marketers view magazines as the most effective medium in driving traffic to corporate websites, online promotions or other web-based marketing sites. The SIMM 9 (2007) study found that magazines prompted web searches more than any other marketing element, 10% more than TV and 33% more than face-to-face communication (further details at here)

“I think what most magazine publishers are quickly realizing is that the web is anything but a threat,” Garland says. “It’s a huge opportunity for any content provider… and if you can then tack the web onto that, you’ve really got something.”

Having an online version is a definite advantage, he says, but print magazines continue to be more than relevant. He cites statistics from 1999 to 2005, which say magazines grew at an average annual compound rate of 7.4 percent, while all other major media combined – TV, radio, out-of-home, and newspapers – grew by 3.7%.

“All magazines do is keep getting stronger,” he says. “As content providers, they’re sitting at the top of the heap.”

June 28, 2007
The RV Times goes glossy after 20 years
VICTORIA, B.C.—Mastheadonline.com received an e-mail this week from Sheila Tourond, publisher of The RV Times magazine, saying she was “on pins and needles” waiting for Teldon Printers in Richmond, B.C. to deliver her first ever full glossy magazine. “I have waited 20 years for this and the time has finally arrived!” she wrote. By the time we reached her, Tourond had tired of waiting and gone to the printer herself to check it out.

Tourond, a one-woman operation (except for Vancouver-based consulting editor Jo Dunaway, whom Tourond has never met in person) had a few reasons for switching the demi-tab, bi-monthly The RV Times from newsprint to glossy stock. Some of her advertisers have moved over to glossies RV Lifestyles and RV West. Her former printer, Transcontinental Printing, had said that the surest way to address concerns over “dirty, smudgy print” in ads was to print on glossy paper. And when the 60-year-old Tourond decides to leave the publishing business, she wants to go with a bang.

“I should gear up to retire someday,” she says. “I always thought the magazine would go glossy.”

The RV Times has been printed in full colour for several years, but when Tourond recently printed an issue with a glossy cover, “people absolutely loved it,” she says, “so I thought, it’s time.”

The RV Times averages 50,000 copies per print run. Going from newsprint to glossy will cost an added $10,000 per issue, a challenge considering the magazine remains free to the RVing public, with bulk distribution through Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea, Cooper's Foods, PriceSmart foods, Lordco Auto Parts, Autogas Propane Ltd., plus RV dealerships, repair shops, campgrounds and libraries throughout B.C. and Alberta.

“The advertisers are ready, I think,” says Tourond. “It will be distributed to them all this week, so it’ll be interesting to see the reception.”

The magazine, she says, has quite a loyal following. “The readers want it monthly, if not weekly, it’s so popular,” she says, “but I tell them I’m a one-person show and I basically don’t want to work that hard anymore. My advertisers want it monthly, too.”

“At the last RV show,” she adds, “one of my advertisers said, ‘Sheila, you could print that on toilet paper and they’d still love it.’”

June 26, 2007
Both “Editors of the Year” know and love their subject
TORONTO—Matt Blackett of Spacing and Aldona Satterthwaite of Canadian Gardening are the first winners ever to tie as Editor of the Year at Editors’ Choice Awards.

Top (left to right): Spacing publisher/creative director Matt Blackett, The Hockey News editor-in-chief Jason Kay, Profit editor Ian Portsmouth and Maisonneuve editor-in-chief Derek Webster.
Bottom (left to right): Spacing managing editor Dale Duncan and Canadian Gardening editor-in-chief Aldona Satterthwaite.

“It’s an interesting book-end, don’t you think?” says Satterthwaite, on being tied with a magazine entirely different from Canadian Gardening. “I think when they were giving us the citation, one of the things they read was ‘a classic magazine, perfectly done,’ and for Spacing, it was ‘new’ and ‘emerging’ and ‘edgy’ and all that kind of stuff. We also represent two age spectrums, which is interesting.”

At the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors’ June 14 ceremony in Toronto, Satterthwaite and Blackett also took home the title of Magazine of the Year. Canadian Gardening, The Hockey News, and Spacing won in the categories of large-,medium-, and small-circulation, respectively, and Far North Oil and Gas won Magazine of the Year in the new category for trade magazines.

Asked what it was about last year’s content that might have put Canadian Gardening above the rest, Satterthwaite is reluctant to single out one particular feature or cover. She is proud of the magazine’s themed, winter issues, which are packed with information to prepare readers for the gardening season and cover anything from buds to bugs, “but I don’t think that was one of the issues I submitted [for the award].”

“As time goes on,” she says, “I just think we make richer, better, meatier, more balanced editorial packages for our readers.”

Matt Blackett, publisher and creative director of the 3½-year-old Spacing says editorial is a “very democratic process” at his office, and that the win is not about himself (he also writes, and makes many of the editorial decisions) but about his whole team, which includes managing editor Dale Duncan.

He believes the magazine’s unique look might have been the first thing that made the judges take notice. “The landscape format will capture anyone’s attention,” he says. “It’s standard size but turned on its side, which reflects how cities are. For the most part, they’re horizontal wide things.”

More than a cleverly-designed package, Spacing also has a unique take on popular issues. Blackett is grateful to have the magazine’s content recognized by his peers.

Write what you know (and love)

“City issues, urban issues, have been around for awhile…” Blackett says, “but there’s no magazine like us. We represent the “new new” journalism. We put ourselves into the story but go beyond that by becoming advocates.”

He says what’s unique about Spacing is that issues traditionally covered only as individual silos – pedestrianism, public transit, etc. – now have an umbrella under which they can be interlinked.

“The high-minded purpose of the magazine is to raise the level of discussion about city-building issues around the city,” he says. “At times we’re quite critical of the city, or City Hall, but City Hall people like us very much because we’re creating a forum for discussion for these issues and educating the public to a certain extent.

He adds that Spacing also counters the cynicism and defeatism that has engulfed people’s mindset about building a good city. “It’s about being pragmatic and reasonable and recognizing that though we do have challenges, we can meet those challenges, and not every roadblock is the end of the world. People can shape their city if they put their minds and hearts to it.”

Blackett says the magazine is doing well in terms of steady growth on the newsstands, but more importantly, the people involved enjoy the process. Though staff and contributors still aren’t getting paid what they deserve, he says, “hardly anyone ever complains about not getting paid very much.”

For editors, being completely immersed in the topic makes for a fulfilling career. It also seems to make a magazine’s readers and peers take notice.

Satterthwaite, who has been the editor of Canadian Gardening since January, 2001, believes that her own knowledge and love of gardening contribute to the magazine’s success. She studied landscape architecture at Ryerson and is a member of Toronto Master Gardeners, an enthusiastic gardener and an avid reader on the subject.

“For me this is super easy,” she says. “If you’re keen on something your passion comes through, and I think you’re also able to make intelligent decisions about your content. In a targeted publication like ours, if you don’t have a sense of what your readers would like to know about, it’s going to be hard for you to figure out how to reach them. I think that’s part of it.”

As for the smaller but increasingly popular Spacing, Blackett is happy to wear several hats and put in long hours because he is committed to the issues he covers. A “staunchily Torontonian” man with a lifelong obsession with politics, Blackett made his niche when he co-founded Spacing in December, 2003. The money, he says, will come.

“We’re certainly not in debt… It’s been a very nice upward trajectory. The magazine hasn’t gone completely ape shit on us, but with each issue we seem to get a little bit more weight behind us and people supporting us.”

June 22, 2007
Entrepreneur Group buys Dream House Publications Ltd.
Vancouver—The publishers of home and lifestyle magazine Dream House and its sister publication Homes & Living have announced that a group of internationally successful Canadian entrepreneurs headed by Mitch Taylor have assumed ownership of the company, Dream House Publications Ltd.

Taylor plans to expand the reach of Dream House, which was launched in 2002, keeping the same title but investing in new circulation streams to expand readership. The magazine has a circulation of 28,000 per issue and is currently distributed in British Columbia and Alberta, with a target market of the top 10% of affluent Canadians. It features Canada’s finest homes as well as international destination properties, covering travel, automobiles, wine, furnishings, interior design and more.

“We’re looking at everything that has made Dream House successful in the consumer magazine market, and how we can make the publication even better,” Taylor said in a release. He promises similar treatment for Homes & Living in the coming months, as the company further develops the Dream House publishing brand.

While the shareholder group is still ironing out the details, the acquisition by Mitch Taylor’s group took place in September, 2006, “but we haven’t said anything to the outside world until now,” says Brynn Belisle, marketing and circulation manager at Dream House Publications.

So far, she says, it’s been business as usual.

“If anything, it’s just created more motivation toward the future of the company, just to see the growth potential. It’s been mostly planning at this stage.”

Greg Bobolo, the former owner, remains as president of Dream House Publications. Belisle says the company wasn’t necessarily looking to sell, but was open to the idea “to inject some finances into the company and build upon the existing magazines.”

Future plans include the expansion of Dream House into other markets, though the company has yet to determine whether to expand its reach east or southwest. Homes & Living, the magazine’s sister publication which has until now appeared as a supplement twice a year, will soon become its own magazine, appearing on newsstands four times a year.

June 21, 2007
National Magazines Awards’ bigger, louder and unruly
The dust has settled after last Friday’s 30th annual National Magazine Awards in Toronto, an event attended by more than 700 guests from coast to coast. And the winners, including Magazine of the Year The Walrus and Outstanding Achievement Award winner Neville Gilfoy, are basking in the afterglow.

Outstanding Achievement Award winner Neville Gilfoy, left, and his long-time friend Greg Keilty, right, who introduced Neville at the ceremony. Keilty is publisher of SkyNews among other titles.

That night at the Carlu auditorium in Toronto, the National Magazine Awards Foundation (NMAF) presented Gold, Silver and Honourable Mention awards in 33 written, visual and integrated categories. Seventy-eight magazines from across Canada comprised the nearly 300 total nominations this year.

Magazine of the Year is awarded to the magazine that most consistently engages, surprises, and serves the needs of its readers. L’actualité was awarded Honourable Mention. The Walrus, besides winning the coveted award, also won six gold and seven silver medals. Last year, the magazine won 14 gold and three silver. In two years it has received 102 nominations.

Walrus staff intend to promote their win as much as possible. “We try to make as much as we can with as little as we’ve got,” says editor Ken Alexander.

“Obviously we want to make some hay,” agrees publisher Shelley Ambrose. So far, that includes publicizing the wins on the Walrus website and sending out “Celebrate with us” e-mail invitations to this Sunday’s “Wild and Wonderful Walrus Party” at Toronto’s Young Center for the Performing Arts.

In just a year, The Walrus has grown from 19 ad pages in the July/August 2006 issue to 30 ad pages in the July/August 2007 issue. The current issue also features an art cover by photographer Edward Burtynsky, who donated the art to the Walrus Foundation. The art sold as a limited edition print and raised $70,000 for the Foundation.

“I think it takes four or five years to establish yourself in the marketplace, and to prove that you’re for real,” says Alexander. “I think we’re at that tipping point.”

Sharing the limelight at the National Magazine Awards that night was Neville Gilfoy, the man behind the launches of Atlantic Insight, Eastern Woods and Waters, Atlantic Progress, Progress and the French-language Progres. The NMAF presented Gilfoy its Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Besides successfully building one of the most capable, committed and determined publishing teams in Canada, Gilfoy served as a CPPA/CMPA board member from 1979-1987, as president of the APCC, and as chair of the board of the Greater Halifax Partnership. For 15 years he taught at the Banff Publishing Workshop. He has presented at hundreds of seminars and conferences, from CMPA and Mags U to economic development groups and high school classes. In 1999 he launched Face to Face, one of the most unique entrepreneurial conferences produced by any magazine in North America.

Watch for more about Gilfoy’s big win in the July/August issue of Masthead.

To view a complete list of award winners, visit the NMAF website, http://www.magazine-awards.com/index.cfm/ci_id/1569/la_id/1.htm.

Too loud and lively?
Attendees comment on the new format

Unlike in previous years where all attendees paid the same price for theatre-style seating and a buffet dinner before and after the event, the NMAF changed the format this year to offer three seating options with three levels of pricing. Attendees could buy a table seat, individually or as a group. The next pricing level down was balcony seating, followed by seating in the round room outside the presentation hall, where attendees watched the awards on close-circuit television. There were food stations outside the theatre, as before, and a cash bar.

“The overall feedback I’m hearing from both board members and members of the community is that people were very happy to be seated together,” says Kim Pittaway, president of the National Magazine Awards Foundation.

“It did increase the volume level in the room,” she says… “People were chatting more, but overall I think that’s just a sign that people were enjoying the evening.”

Attendees, however, have offered a different take on the volume level. D.B. Scott, a consultant and Masthead columnist, had this to say in his Canadian Magazines blog:

“…the din (particularly channeled out from under the balcony) tended to drown out much of what was emanating from the stage. For some reason, the sound system this year wasn’t up to the challenge, and even when the Outstanding Achievement Award was being made to Neville Gilfoy, half the room either wasn’t paying attention or was straining to hear what was being said. Greg Keilty’s well-considered words in introducing Gilfoy were largely drowned out. Gilfoy himself, of course, seized command of the situation and, with his booming voice not only made himself heard but also delivered a bit of a stemwinder, a statement of the importance of magazines as retailers of ideas and a political shaft aimed at Ottawa’s current Harperite bumblers.”

Pittaway says the new seating format made the event about 20 minutes longer than in previous years, “simply because it took people longer to navigate to the stage.”

Despite there being buffet food stations outside the presentation hall, some confusion arose from the fact that attendees could have alcohol at their tables, but not food.

“I didn’t eat enough,” Ken Alexander admits. “I actually thought we were going to be sitting down for dinner, so I arrived for the awards dinner and I hadn’t eaten.”

The ability to drink while watching the awards is a notable change from previous years, where no drinks were allowed in the theatre-style seating. One well-connected industry person and long-time attendee of the National Magazine Awards told MastheadOnline.com the event is too long, especially considering amount of alcohol served versus food available:

“People are potted by the time the big announcements come.”

The same attendee told us that, “for the 30th anniversary event… this is no rap on any individual… but it should have been tickety-boo.”

As for next year’s format, Pittaway says nothing will be decided until the board members have a chance to debrief next week.

“We listen to feedback from attendees every year,” she says, “and are always trying to improve the evening to make it a better experience.”

June 20, 2007
Senior Living Magazine wins Award of Merit
At its recent International meeting in Las Vegas, the Canadian Academy of Senior Advisors (CASA) presented an award of merit for service to the Canadian senior community to Barbara and Barry Risto, publishers of Burnaby,  B.C.-based Senior Living magazine.

The Ristos launched Senior Living in June, 2004 despite “a lot of advice that was not always positive,” Barry laughs. He, who had worked with seniors for most of his life, and wife Barbara who had edited a college newspaper, had a dream of creating a magazine that would address the positive things about aging.

“We’ve only been in business for three years and we’re growing like crazy,” says Barry.

The Ristos started the magazine with their own funds. Revenue is entirely through advertising, which to date consists mostly of clients in the housing and financial sectors. Since the launch of Senior Living, circulation has grown from 10,000 to 60,000.

The magazine is distributed free-of-charge in lower-mainland British Columbia, as well as on Vancouver Island. Senior Living hosts an annual Senior Celebration Festival. The Ristos also publish a housing guide for seniors, and are about to launch two books for seniors, one on relocating, the other a collection of writings by their columnist Gipp Forster.

Of the many people offering advice along the way, the Ristos credit in particular Alan Singleton-Wood, former and founding president of the Canadian Information Productivity Awards, and a retired but formidable newspaper and magazine publisher who worked for Canadian Business and The Financial Post among others.

Barry and Barbara Risto (left and centre) receive Award of Merit for Senior Living magazine.

“Alan approached us,” says Barry. “He had seen our magazine, told us who he was, and asked if we’d like to chat with him. He kind of took us under his wing. He even put together a PowerPoint promotional presentation for us.”

He says Singleton, who is in his 80s, doesn’t have much contact with the Ristos these days, but nominated them for a Victoria Chamber of Commerce new business award. These were Singleton’s words:

“In my many years in newspaper and magazine publishing I have not seen a better example of how to create and build a publication that is truly meeting the needs of its marketplace.”

Senior Living has a community spirit and is enjoying success at the grassroots level, but its publishers say they’d like to go national someday. In his CASA acceptance speech, Barry said, “We are proud and honoured to have been selected for this award, and look to the future toward making certain every Canadian senior has access to a monthly copy.”

The secret to their success?

“I think the thing we did right from the start was put the readership first,” says Risto. “There are no advertorials. We highlight the readership, and I think that comes through really loud and strong and I think that’s why there’s now that emotional connection.”

“However,” Barry admits, “We’re still on our knees with the business community. Businesses are slow to recognize the value of a senior customer or client. They still need to be educated in the demographic, so it’s been tough that way. So far, though, we’ve gotten lots of testimonials from our businesses saying they’ve got really god results.”

June 18, 2007
New mag association boards elected
TORONTO—June is the beginning of a new year for many magazine associations, and several national groups have also elected new chairs to lead them over the next 24 months.

The AGM season began June 4 with the Canadian Business Press. Departing chairman Bruce Creighton of the Business Information Group handed the traditional gavel to new chair David McClung, president of Baxter Travel Group in Toronto. (For the full list of new association boards, scroll down.)

Then on June 14, Magazines Canada announced its new board slate. Robert Goyette, editor of Montreal-based Sélection du Reader’s Digest and chairman of the Reader’s Digest Foundation, took over the Magazines Canada chair from Deb Rosser, publisher of Canadian Business at Rogers Publishing.

This is the first time anyone representing Canada’s largest-circulation consumer magazine (combined Reader’s Digest and Sélection circulation: 1.2 million) has chaired Magazines Canada. Reader’s Digest became an association member only in 2004 after decades of being cast as an enemy of domestic publishers. The merger of the “old” Magazines Canada (of which RD was an active member) and the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association in 2003 paved the way for membership in the newly combined association. RD’s continued investment in Canadian publishing operations, including the wildly successful launch of Our Canada in 2005 (paid circulation 307,000), has also given the firm more clout in the industry.

At the CMC Circulation Management Association of Canada, president Ron Sellwood of Coast to Coast Newsstand Services continues with another year left in his term. New board members were ushered in, however.

2007-2008 Boards of Directors:

Canadian Business Press:

David McClung
Chair: David McClung, Baxter Travel Group (two-year term)
Other directors:
Michael Atkins, Chairman, IT World Canada
Rex Armstead, President, ACT Communications
Rosanna Caira, Publisher/Editor, Kostuch Communications
Bruce Creighton, President, Business Information Group (past chairman)
Steve Davey, President, Environmental Science & Engineering Publications (second vice-chair)
Sue Fredericks, President, Annex Publishing & Printing
Niel Hiscox, President, CLB Media
Brian Light, President, Salon Communications
Robert Luton, President, LVP Media
John Milne, Senior Vice-President, Rogers Business & Professional Publishing
Alex Papanou, Vice-President Publishing, Business Information Group (first vice-chair)
Joe Tersigni, Vice-President & Publisher, IT Business Group, IT World Canada
Bill Whitelaw, President, JuneWarren Publishing
Paul Williams, Vice-President, Rogers Business & Professional Publishing
Cairine Williams, Vice-President/Publisher, Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants

Magazines Canada:

Robert Goyette
Chair: Robert Goyette, Reader’s Digest Association of Canada (two-year term)
Other directors:
Joyce Byrne, Associate Publisher, Alberta Venture
Linda Gourlay, Publisher, Saltscapes
Jacqueline Howe, Publisher, Canadian Home & Country
Samantha Legge, General Manager, TV Week
Sharon McAuley, Publisher, Toronto Life
Kirby Miller, Vice President, Sales & Operations, Canadian House and Home
Deborah Morrison, Publisher, The Beaver
Deborah Rosser, Publisher, Canadian Business (past chair)
Terry Sellwood, General Manager, Explore (treasurer)
Melony Ward, Executive Director, Canadian Art (secretary)
Derek Webster, Publisher & Editor, Maisonneuve
Grant Young, Publisher & President, Downhome

CMC Circulation Management Association of Canada:

Ron Sellwood
Chair: Ron Sellwood, Account Executive, Publisher Services, Coast to Coast Newsstand Services (one-year remaining)
Other directors:
Tuppy Blair, Score Golf
Scott Bullock, Circ3
Camile Diodati, Indas (past president)
Dimitry Epelbaum, Business Information Group
Tom Johnston, Rogers Media
Mike Marcos, Rogers Media
Ian McKelvie, Canada’s National History Society, The Beaver
James Zammit, CLB Media

Brian Gillett, Target Audience Management (administrator)

June 14, 2007
Survey says readers want more online content
Southborough, MA—Texterity’s 2007 Digital Magazine Reader Survey says magazine readers are continuing to decrease their use of print in favour of digital editions.

The survey, conducted in March and April of this year, elicited 11,642 responses from readers of digital magazines across North America. It was targeted to readers who have read at least one digital magazine recently, whether trade or consumer.

Among the highlights:

  • More than 44% of respondents have decreased their use of print in the last 12 months.
  • 88% of digital magazine readers are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their digital edition.
  • 90% have taken some type of action with a product or service, and 65% have visited the advertiser’s web site.
  • 89% of respondents use the digital archives, with the vast majority using them to find specific articles.
  • No longer just GenXers, typical readers of digital editions are professionals, 45 years old on average, with at least 17.5 years of industry experience.
  • When reading or searching past issues, 85% of readers are looking for specific articles.
  • 46 % spend at least 30 minutes reading each digital issue.
  • More than 61% of digital readers value video content as a useful add-on.

Should print publishers be alarmed?

“I don’t think so,” says Martin Seto of Texterity. “I think digital strategy is important, regardless of how it’s executed. But demand for print is changing... Magazines will have to think: Are they a brand, or a magazine?”

While digital editions of large-circulation consumer magazines such as Tribute and Canadian House and Home are doing well, Seto says the situation is very different for Canadian B2B magazines, most of which don’t have the resources to go digital.

In some cases, interest in online content depends on the subject matter and reader demographic. “In the U.S. information technology sector,” says Seto, “the majority of advertising money is being made online through e-mail news, e-mail list rentals, webcasts, and digital editions.” This will no longer be limited to higher-tech sectors, he says, as more people go online.

With the increasing popularity of YouTube and personal blogs that feature video and audio, Seto says readers expect magazines to create multimedia sites. “Even grade six students are doing it, so I think that’s where we’ll have to go.”

You can sign up to read the full survey’s questions and responses at http://www.texterity.com/survey/

June 13, 2007
2 Magazine boasts shimmery Metal FX cover
TORONTO—2, “the magazine for couples,” claims to be the first large-run consumer magazine to use Metal FX (MFX) technology on its covers. Publisher Diane Hall believes this is the biggest breakthrough in magazine printing since the switch from paste-up to computer prepress. She predicts others will follow suit.

When Calvin Klein launched its ckIN2U his-and-her fragrance brand, with packaging and promotional materials produced in four-colour over silver paper for a metallic effect, 2 Magazine set out to print ckIN2U’s back cover ad with a similar look. Rather than use four-colour over silver paper, however, the magazine took the opportunity to try out “Metal FX” technology, having heard about it from their printer (Transcontinental’s RBW Graphics and Yorkville plants).

The spring ’07 issue of 2 featured the new effect on all of its four cover positions. Both the ads and the front cover, says Hall, “look more realistic and, at the same time, more sophisticated. It reflects light and makes the colours richer.” The magazine is sticking with the new look.

The software-based technology simply adds silver as a fifth colour. “It’s a special mix of metallic silver that makes it tacky, which allows the CMYK to lay on top of it,” says Hall. “When you lay the four-colour on top of the silver you get infinite colours of metal, which you’ve never been able to do before in magazines.”

“It’s not garish, and it’s not a big special effects thing,” she says. “To me, it’s an advancement. Printing has gone from film to computer, and we’ve had a lot of development in post, but the actual four-colour process hasn’t really changed. This adds a fifth colour – silver – but that silver can appear as gold, blue, green, any colour.

To date, Metal FX has been a popular option used mainly in annual reports and specialty direct mail pieces, available mainly on sheet fed presses. Currently, the bigger web presses aren’t able to run it because most only accommodate four colours. It may be just a matter of time.

Hall reports no difficulties at all, except for having to take a couple of passes at the proofing stage to adjust and learn about the new technology. 2’s summer issue, which was printed this week and is the second issue to use MFX on the cover, was executed on the first pass.

“Today’s consumers have access to more sophisticated and various types of images, with high-definition TV, and images backlit on their computer screens,” says Hall. “They might not understand what they’re seeing, but they’ll see that it’s fresh and different. I see it as high-definition for print.”

Hall says the client, ckIN2U, loved the shimmery effect of the ad in the spring issue and repeated it with the summer issue. The new look is being rolled out as an option for other clients as well.

“We’re telling our clients they don’t have to do anything different,” says Hall. “They just supply us their high-res pdf, we run it through the software, and we can show them a proof and adjust the different levels. If they don’t like it, they can always go back to their four-colour.”

As for cost, Hall says there’s a small premium, “but no more than a fifth colour. And what you get are multiple, infinite ‘fifth colours.’”

June 11, 2007
Publishers of IN Burlington magazine to launch Oakville
Burlington, ON—Little Green Tree Publishing is launching a sister publication to IN Burlington, its lifestyle and business magazine. Oakville will launch with a circulation of 20,000-25,000 in early December.

Jane Hamilton, publisher of IN Burlington and the upcoming Oakville

“We are very excited and are ramping up,” says Jane Hamilton, publisher of both magazines and a partner in the company. “We have hired a new ad sales rep and a junior designer, and have made Susanne Hasulo, who is currently a part-time editor, a full-time editor.”

Hamilton says Oakville will have similar style, format and content to IN Burlington but will focus on the people and businesses that make Oakville  – Burlington, Ontario’s neighbouring town – tick.

“This is an exciting time for Oakville,” says Hamilton, “with the town’s150th Birthday, a new mayor with a mandate to make Oakville the most livable town in Canada, and we feel that a new, independent publication will add to this already vibrant town.”

IN Burlington was initially launched by the city of Burlington in 2002, but Little Green Tree assumed the magazine in 2004 following a competitive bidding process and re-launched it with a new design.

“In just two years, we’ve seen our circulation grow from a distribution of 13,000 to 20,000 copies, with a further increase to 30,000 copies scheduled for our Fall issue,” Hamilton told readers via the magazine’s website this spring. “This means that not only will we now be reaching almost 50% of Burlington’s 55,000 households but 90% of the city’s business community as well.”

The quarterly, glossy magazine just published its 11th issue. It goes to select businesses and households fitting the $100,000-plus income bracket in Burlington and surrounding areas. Burlington Chamber of Commerce members receive IN Burlington, which is also distributed free-of-charge at Ribfest and the Sound of Music Festival, lakefront festivals that draw thousands of people to the city’s Spencer Smith Park every summer.

Hamilton says that besides publishing magazines, Little Green Tree is also a graphic design company that has established “a nice stable of design clients” through its magazine clients.

IN Burlington’s Advertisers include restaurants, hotels, car dealerships, galleries, jewellers, spas and other upscale businesses. Hamilton, who has a background in journalism, insists on a mix of 60% editorial and 40% advertising and doesn’t allow ads that take up less than 1/3 of a page.  “We offer one-third, one-half, or a full-page for ads,” she says. “We want to feature them well.”

The same standards will apply to Oakville, says Hamilton, who anticipates some crossover advertising between the two publications.

2006 Atlantic Journalism Award Winners
HALIFAX—Atlantic Canada celebrated excellence in journalism at the 2006 Atlantic Journalism Awards ceremony in Halifax on May 12. 

Awards were presented in 25 categories. Magazine winners and finalists are as follows:

Atlantic Magazine Article
The gold award winner was:

  • Barry Boyce - Shambhala Sun, Halifax, NS – “Who Does God Vote For?”

The other finalists in this category were:

  • Trevor J. Adams/ Andrew Danson - East Coast Living, Halifax, NS –“The Unchanging Islands”
  •  - John Demont / Kevin Yarr/ Wes Reid - Saltscapes, Dartmouth, NS – “The Country Connection”

Atlantic Magazine - Best Cover
The gold award winner was:

  • Shambhala Sun - Halifax, NS - January 2006

The other finalists in this category were:

  • Halifax Magazine - Halifax, NS - Sept/Oct 2006
  • Saltscapes - Dartmouth, NS - July/Aug 2006

Atlantic Magazine - Best Profile Article
The gold award winner was:

  • Philip Lee - Saltscapes, Dartmouth, NS – “Man of a Thousand Songs”

The other finalists in this category were:

  • Rob Antle - Saltscapes, Dartmouth, NS – “The Story Teller”
  • Janice Landry - Atlantic Business Magazine, St. John's, NL – “The Pie Man”
The Atlantic Journalism Awards has been a continuous annual celebration of journalistic excellence and achievement in Atlantic Canada since 1981. It is now managed by a volunteer industry board of directors representing print and broadcast news organizations.

June 8, 2007
Industry mourns the loss of Terri DeRose
TORONTO—Terri DeRose, who would have turned 57 on June 11, died of cancer around 9:00 p.m. Thursday night. Transcontinental’s vice president of consumer marketing was on sick leave for several months.  Her death is a shock to the industry.

Terri DeRose

Linda Chick, circulation manager of Ontario Out of Doors, was DeRose’s close friend and long-time industry associate and visited her yesterday morning.

“Terri was so humble and modest,” Chick said in a teary interview with Masthead. “She didn’t like the limelight, but she deserves it. I think it’s important for everyone out there to realize who Terri was, and what an amazing person she was for our industry and as a friend. She’s going to be greatly missed.”

Chick says DeRose converted Toronto Life’s circulation to paid, 30 years ago, and was directly involved in the launches of Owl, Chickadee, Chirp, Elm Street, Today’s Parent and More and played a key role at Avid Media (formerly Camar Publications).

Chick met DeRose in the ‘80s when both women were involved in founding what would become the Circulation Management Association of Canada (CMC).

“We were just a little group of people trying to make a difference in Canadian magazines, from a circulation and marketing point of view, and Terri was the first to be on the committee,” she says. “She was a major player there.”

Colleen Moloney, associate publisher of Skynews, is another long-time friend and associate of DeRose. “She was just an amazing powerhouse,” says Moloney. “She was so quiet about what she did, but she did it so well. She really made a big difference in this industry.”

Above all, say DeRose’s friend, her greatest loves were her daughter Stephanie, who turns 22 this August, and husband Gerry, a now-retired creative director from Ogilvie Mather who met Terri when she was 17. The couple recently celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary, on May 1.”

Michael J. Fox, senior vice president of circulation and development at Rogers Media expresses his sorrow over the loss of DeRose.

“Terri was a leader who inspired the best in people and who focused on what's really important,” Fox says. “As a circulator, she launched several magazines and built them into profitable market leaders. She was not afraid to ask tough questions or to ask the most of people, but she was always professional and fair. Many people were mentored by Terri and motivated by her energy. All of us are in shock and saddened by the rapid and tragic end to such a brilliant and accomplished career.”

Deanna Kennedy, a former circulation professional, worked with DeRose on and off for 17 years.

“When I was 20 years old, my grandmother worked at Saturday Night,” says Kennedy. “Terri worked at Owl and Chickadee. I was looking for a job, and my grandma called Terri to say her granddaughter was looking for work. Terri interviewed me and afterwards said, ‘Do you know how to use a coffee maker?’ I said I did, and she said, ‘Okay. You’re hired.’”

“Circulation was hardly even recognized back then,” says Kennedy. “There was no marketing concept attached to it. Terri has done so much for the industry. She even came up with Toronto Life’s two-for-one coupon book.”

Kennedy is one of countless people whose lives and careers were enriched by Terri DeRose.

“The confidence she put in people absolutely made them grow,” she says. “She was my mentor and my friend.”

The Toronto Star will publish funeral details, which will also follow at MastheadOnline.

June 7, 2007
Mags U 2007 a resounding success
TORONTO—The 16th annual Mags University conference wrapped up yesterday after welcoming more than 1,300 magazine people to seminars, luncheons, awards programs, vendor presentations and the exhibit hall. More than 2,600 tickets were sold to various events over two and a half days.

Isabelle Marcoux addresses Mags U luncheon crowd

One of the highlights was a keynote address by Isabelle Marcoux, Vice Chair of the Board and Vice-president, Corporate Development for Transcontinental Inc. Marcoux spoke to a sold-out luncheon crowd of 200 magazine professionals on the future of the industry. She struck an optimistic chord, saying the magazine industry has a bright future in print—but is also undergoing a period of “rapid and profound change,” with tremendous opportunities for publishers with strong magazine brands.

“The table-stakes of survival mean getting the fundamentals right: identifying a niche with growth potential, nailing the product delivered to the target audience, and then going one step further with a multi-platform strategy, which is often Web-based,” she said at yesterday’s Mags U luncheon, hosted by Masthead. The full speech can be seen here.

Other highlights included Tuesday’s luncheon address by Don Tapscott, best-selling author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. Tapscott spoke to a full room about how the themes of his book affect the magazine publishing industry. Tuesday’s luncheon was hosted by the Canadian Business Press, which reports it was a record-breaking audience for its annual Mags U luncheon.

Vendors in the sold-out exhibit hall reported good traffic and leads with strong interest in many new publishing technologies and services, including 3M’s new Post-It Note program that allows publishers to apply the famous yellow notes to the outside of publications and direct-mail pieces sent through the mail. Masthead used the Post-It on the cover of the May/June Show Issue as a special ballot to win a Mac mini at the conference; hundreds of people brought their ballots to the conference and the winner is Marty Climenhage of Schizophrenia Digest, published by Magpie Publishing of Fort Erie, Ont. A list of all the vendors can be seen here.

Mags U audience listens to Michael Gold of Stanford University's Publishing on the Web Workshop

The heart of Mags U is the professional development seminars, and this year’s new Mags U format allowed for larger rooms to accommodate the demand for insights from leading Canadian and U.S. experts. The new conference slogan for 2007, “The Magazine and Internet Publishing Conference,” bore true as many of the largest sessions were web-only focused.

Mags University partners include the Audit Bureau of Circulations, CCAB/BPA, Canadian Society of Magazine Editors, Independent Publishers Association of Ontario, CBP and Masthead.

Watch for more reports and pictures from Mags U in the days ahead and in the July/August issue of Masthead.

KRW Awards hand out $30,000 to winners

BPA Worldwide senior vice-president Richard Murphy, ReNew Canada publisher Todd Latham and CBP president Phil Boyd enjoy the pre-KRW reception
TORONTO—It was another nail-biting evening for editors, art directors, writers and publishers in the business-to-business press as more than 300 of them waited for the winners to be announced at the 53rd annual KRW Awards, held June 5 as part of Mags University.

Cash prizes totaled $30,000 in 20 writing, visual and Internet categories. Regular KRW winners CA Magazine, Marketing, National, Quill & Quire, and Le coóperateur agricole, among others, did well in the medal department. But gold and silver accolades were spread across dozens of titles from across the country.

Masthead magazine contributor Paul Jones won a silver award for his column, Scorecard, which reviews new magazines after their third issue. Sister magazine Graphic Monthly Canada also won a silver award in the how-to category (writer Nancy Clark) and a Top 5 finishing in the industrial/manufacturing category (writer Kate Calder).

The full list of winners can be seen at www.cbp.ca

Maisonneuve top dog at Newsstand Awards

Newsstand Magazine Cover of the Year
TORONTO—An issue of Maisonneuve that was almost banned from Chapters/Indigo stores won the Newsstand Magazine Cover of the Year award at this year’s Canadian Newsstand Awards/Grand prix d’excellence en kiosque.

The bookstore chained ordered Montreal-based Maisonneuve, a general-interest magazine, to polybag the issue or forego placement because an article in the Winter 2006/07 issue featured a few racy photographs of strippers. Maisonneuve turned a potential disaster into a success by polybagging the copies at the last minute and also adding this large outside sticker in bright orange: “DANGER: STYLISH, WITTY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING MATERIAL INSIDE. Oh, and a few nipples.”

“Ironically, the issue practically sold out at Chapters/Indigo,” wrote editor Derek Webster in a prepared note delivered at the awards reception by Maisonneuve circulation consultant Scott Bullock. Indeed, the issue boasted an 84% sell-through.

Other winners at the 6th annual event, held June 5 at Mags University, are:

Best Small-Circulation Magazine Cover: This Magazine, Nov/Dec 2006
Best Mid-size Circulation Magazine Cover: The Beaver, Dec/Jan 2006
Best Large-Circulation Magazine Cover: Elle Canada, September 2006
Best Extra-Large Circulation Magazine Cover: Châtelaine, June 2006

As previously announced, this year’s winner of the Newsstand Marketer of the Year award is Mark Hamill, Director of Retail Sales for Rogers Publishing.

For a full list of finalists and covers, visit www.newsstandawards.ca

The awards are produced by Masthead and sponsored by HDS Retail, CMC, Transcontinental Printing, Quark Inc., ABC, and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

June 6, 2007
W.I. Media Inc. purchases Coverings magazine
National trade magazine publisher W.I. Media Inc. has announced the purchase of Coverings, Canada’s national magazine for designers, architects, installers and retailers of flooring. “It’s been an interesting purchase,” says Blair Tullis, president of Markham, Ont.-based W.I. Media.

The former owner, Peter Spragg of Mayville Publishing, based in Cherryville, Ont., wasn’t on the market when Tullis and W.I. Media vice-president Kerry Knudsen approached him about selling. Spragg, who was until now the magazine’s editor and publisher, will stay involved as a contract sales representative for Coverings.

“We’re calling him ‘publisher emeritus,’ says Tullis. “[The new arrangement] gives Peter some continuity, gives him some money, and he gets to keep his gig.”

According to Knudsen, who is editor of both Wood Industry and the new Coverings,  “This market has been well served by Coverings and Peter Spragg over the last many years. We intend to preserve that relationship, and we will be expanding our editorial reach with some exciting new columnists, hard-hitting, industry-specific features and timely reports.

“In addition, we have identified some circulation areas we feel have been under-served, and we will be expanding our circulation into these sectors. In all, this will be a major new opportunity for us, for our readers and for our existing and potential advertisers. And with the former owner staying with the magazine, it’s the best of all possibilities.”

Coverings is distributed to flooring retailers, architects, designers, installers. As of July/August, the first issue under the new ownership, it will be printed in a standard journal size rather than its former, larger format. Tullis says the magazine’s circulation is “controlled, with some paid, and in the 7,500 range.” W.I. Media will be hiring editorial staff in the near future.

June 5, 2007
Plein Vol celebrates 10 years
The French-language, Quebec based aeronautical magazine Plein Vol celebrated its 10th anniversary in April at the Canadian Aviation Heritage Centre in Ste Anne de Bellevue. Despite a sometimes bumpy ride, the magazine’s circulation has grown from 21,000 in 1997 to 60,000 today. Owner, editor and publisher Diane Autran says she’s close to finally collecting a paycheque.

Plein Vol's owner is open to the idea of selling.

“I’m just delighted to know that it’s doing well,” she says. “For a French magazine on aviation that’s quite something… I’m not surprised, though, because I know that I work so hard.”

Autran, who worked as a flight attendant for 32 years, was offered a package from Air Canada in 2001 and shifted her career to running a magazine.

“I knew the people who owned Plein Vol,” she says. “During my last two years of flying, I was doing revisions for them.  I knew the magazine, everyone liked it, but it was not well managed. So I said, ‘I’ll buy it and see where that will take me.’”

Autran admits she “had no clue” about the world of publishing. “I did it with passion but, on the other hand, detached from the money aspect. And in a way, I think that’s why it’s working… It creates a synergy.”

Having injected her own funds into the magazine for most of its run so far, Autran has stopped that and is finally just at the point of paying herself a salary.  What sustains her is the possibility of someday making a good sale.

“The way I get my energy,” she says, “is that someday a passionate person might want to purchase Plein Vol. That’s my consolation. If I get to sell it well, that’s encouraging for me.”

Plein Vol’s subscribers are based mostly in Quebec. The magazine goes to manufacturers and suppliers in North America and Western Europe; sub-contractors and small-to-medium enterprises in Canada and Quebec; national, regional and local airlines; government departments; associations; colleges, universities and pilot schools; and aerospace research centres. The editorial covers aeronautical activity worldwide.

With every issue, Autran also sends 2,008 copies to the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA).  She printed 20,000 extra copies of her June issue for distribution at the Centre for Aerospace Manpower Activities’ Aerosalon show in Longueuil.

When people ask her why she doesn’t produce her articles in English, she tells them she doesn’t want to compete with Canadian Aviation and Wings, preferring to stand out as the industry’s French-language magazine.

“We are all fond of Plein Vol. It belongs to all Quebecers that love aviation. We are proud of it and don’t want to let it crash,” she laughs. “We want it to fly higher.”
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