Mr. Magazine

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 06: Doug Olson, president, Meredith Magazines accepting The Launch of the Year Award from Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni at the American Magazine Media Conference 2018 on February 6 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for The Association of Magazine Media)

The Magnolia Journal took top honors at the American Magazine Media Conference in NYC on February 6 for the 2017 Launch of the Year award. Yours truly and the MPA: The Association of Magazine Media presented the award to the Meredith title. From a field of 212 new magazines launched with a regular frequency between Oct. 2016 and Dec. 2017, we selected 20, and then we carefully brought that 20 down to 10 finalists for the top honor of 2017 Launch of the Year. We are all pleased to see Meredith and The Magnolia Journal receive this award.

Why The Magnolia Journal you may ask? Well for one, the magazine will launch its spring issue on February 13th with a 1.2 million rate base. And as I told the press:

“It’s been a long time since a magazine has generated as much buzz in the marketplace as The Magnolia Journal has. The connectivity of the content and the design made and continues to make this magazine fly off the shelves. Under the leadership of editor in chief Joanna Gaines, this print product creates a very interactive experience for readers. “All in all, The Magnolia Journal burst onto the scene, and in less than a year, floated to the top, deserving the Launch of the Year award–an honor well-deserved.”

I asked Doug Olson, president of Meredith Magazines, his thoughts about this award. Here’s what he had to say:

And here’s a quick reminder on who were the top 10 finalist:

Looking forward to the 2018 Launch of the Year… Keep those new magazines coming.