September 28, 2001 Rogers to reinvent Shoppers mag TORONTOImages magazine, a glossy quarterly produced for Shoppers Drug Mart by Multi-Vision Publishing, will be relaunched this coming March by Rogers Media as a 500,000-circ bimonthly called Images Beauty & Health. There will be three separate versions of each edition of the magazine, says Rogers Mitch Dent, each targeting a distinct group of Shoppers customers whose buying habits are captured with a loyalty card and databased. Rogers editorial reinvestment is in the seven-figure range, adds Mitch Dent. |
September 27, 2001 Globe retains magazine critic TORONTOThe Globe and Mail has engaged poet and novelist Lynn Crosbie to write regularly on the subject of magazines. Crosbies column will appear every other Wednesday. It debuted yesterday with a critique of Spruce, Tyler Brûlés new biannual fashion magazine. The idea, says Globe Review editor Simon Beck, is to spark thought about wider cultural issues. Crosbies column will serve as a kind of cultural stepping-off point, says Beck. Well cover the whole rangefrom Martha Stewart Living to probably pornography, he adds. Crosbie holds a Ph.D in English from the University of Toronto and is the author of Pauls Case, a controversial work of speculative fiction based on convicted murderer Paul Bernardo. |
September 26, 2001 Maritime media mogul sells mag division HALIFAXNewfoundland Capital Corp., a Dartmouth, N.S.-based communications company controlled by media-shy media magnate Harry Steele, has jettisoned its magazine publishing division. Halifax-based Metro Guide Publishing, which puts out 10 titles, was sold to long-time employee, publisher Sheila Blair, on Aug. 25. The magazines generate annual revenue of roughly $1.5 million, says Blair. Titles include East Coast Living and Port of Halifax Magazine. In addition to a string of community newspapers, NCC owns more than 30 radio stations across Canada and has amassed the largest commercial printing conglomeration in the Maritimes, generating $30.7 million in sales last year. NCCs total sales in 2000 were $77.7 million. |
September 25, 2001 Istona to edit new magazine TORONTOMildred Istona, editor of Chatelaine from 1977-1994, is set to return as editor-in-chief of Her Car, a new quarterly scheduled to launch this coming February. National Post automotive writer Graeme Fletcher will be executive editor. Her Car promises to help women make educated automotive-related decisions. It will be produced by Toronto-based custom publisher Clarco Communications. Its clearly an unserved niche in the market, said Clarco president Michael Clarke. A circulation of 600,000 copies will be distributed primarily via newspapers. |
September 24, 2001 Computer-to-plate adoption approaches 50% MISSISSAUGA, Ont.Four out of 10 magazine publishers have fully digitized, filmless production departments. In 1999, less than one out of five publishers had adopted computer-to-plate technology. Look for these and other findings in Mastheads sixth biennial Production Survey in the October issue of Masthead magazine. |
September 17, 2001 Axe falls on Saturday Night TORONTOSaturday Night magazine will cease publication following the Sept. 22 issue. Parent company CanWest Global Communications announced the closure today, citing a need to cut costs. CanWest also announced that 120 jobs at its daily National Post would be lost. Saturday Night magazine, Canadas oldest consumer magazine, was established in 1887 and has won more National Magazine Awards than any other magazine. Saturday Night was converted from a standalone monthly to a weekly insert to the Post last May, in an attempt to bolster the Posts weekend circulation war with The Globe and Mail. The glossy weekly was rumoured to have lost at least $5 million in its first year. |
September 11, 2001 Trudeau issue had record sell-through TORONTOThe special one-time Trudeau edition of Macleans magazine that appeared last October generated nearly $1.3 million in sales. The perfect-bound, 162-page commemoration of the former prime minister contained no advertising. It appeared on newsstands Oct. 19. Trudeau died three weeks earlier, on Sept. 28. A total of 126,849 copies sold at $9.95 each. With a press run of 146,273, sell-through was a record-setting 87%, says Macleans executive editor Michael Benedict. |
September 10, 2001 Small mags lose $4.5 million in funding OTTAWAOf the Canada Magazine Funds $45 million kitty for fiscal 2000-2001, only $25 million was actually handed out by March 31 of this year. As unawarded funds do not carry forward into the next fiscal year, the difference$20 millionhas effectively evaporated. The lucky ones? Editorial component applicants, who received all of the $25 million set aside for them. The losers? Small magazine publishers, who were promised $5 million in funding but received only $503,000 by March 31. Of the $15 million set aside for the CMFs infrastructure development component, roughly $1 million was dispersed. |
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