Mr. Magazine

“Reader’s Digest is the greatest example of successful print because part of it is the physical nature of the product; the fact that it’s small and pocket-sized and you can take it anywhere.” Bonnie Kintzer…

“I think the beauty of print is that the brand is so revered. Our print brands have been around for a long time, they really mean something as opposed to launching a new brand that doesn’t have a history. So I think the beauty of print is having such a great history. When you have something like Reader’s Digest or Taste of Home, it already has this incredible stamp of approval.” Bonnie Kintzer…

Bonnie Kintzer has been president and CEO of Trusted Media Brands for around10 years and isn’t afraid to tout print as the individualized physical experience it is. Oh she’s a firm believer in digital, video and AI, but she doesn’t sweep print under a dilapidated, hole-worn rug either. I spoke with Bonnie recently and we talked about many things. From being considered a media company rather than a magazine company to where she sees the magazine media business heading in the future, the conversation was vast and very informative.

As you read this interview keep in mind that Bonnie oversees titles like Reader’s Digest, Taste of Home, and Family Handyman. Stalwart, trustworthy magazines that have always contributed bountifully to each of their subject matters and genres. And along with the great print products, there are videos, digital entities and even a streaming service title. With a plethora of content such as that, her plate is always full, but you can be sure she still has lots of fun doing what she does. And I know because I asked her…

And now the Mr. Magazine™ exclusive interview with Bonnie Kintzer, president & CEO, Trusted Media Brands. Please enjoy…

But first the soundbites:

On how she saw 2023: I think it was, obviously, a very challenging year. On the print side, we did quite well. We saw great renewals and really terrific response rates to our digital initiatives on the magazine, so I actually think from a print perspective we were very happy. On the digital side we saw a lot of challenges with Google and I think we have responded in kind to that. We had a fantastic December and I think it was a year of transition as in some ways they all are.

On her forecast for 2024: I think our purposefulness will continue to be strong. I think we’re very focused on our four brands; we have four very strong magazines. I think the newsstand will continue to be a challenge, but our direct marketing, whether it’s the mail or digital, continues to do really well. So we feel really good about it.

On why she thinks her print brand is still doing good in this digital age: Because our brands are really beloved, and we focus on four not a larger amount like we used to. I do think too that we were very thoughtful in focusing on the titles that had the longevity, such as Reader’s Digest.

On whether the experience is different when you buy a magazine from the newsstand or get it in the mail as opposed to the web: Oh yes, and it always will be. Reader’s Digest is the greatest example of successful print because part of it is the physical nature of the product; the fact that it’s small and pocket-sized and you can take it anywhere.

On closing the Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest: As you know, Canada is a very small market and it’s a very difficult market from a postal perspective. And I think the team did a fantastic job, but we’re about focus. I can’t emphasize that enough. And I think focus is what helps us to continue to be successful. You have to focus on where the opportunity is and I think that we do that in everything we do.

On whether they’re involved in the bookazine business: We have some bookazines, but it’s really not where we focus. I would say that the newsstand channel is quite broken and we really try to focus on areas where we can have impact. And we have not been able to have great impact on the newsstand. Again, not our focus.

On whether Reader’s Digest is still their number one brand: Yes, in print. And we have other brands outside of print with the FailArmy, The Pet Collective, and the WeatherSpy, People Are Awesome, and we also love our video brands. We launched At Home with Family Handyman, which is a streaming channel, obviously in partnership with Family Handyman. But of the four print brands, yes, Reader’s Digest is the biggest and doing incredibly well.

On where she sees the entire magazine media business heading: I think it will continue to get smaller and I think postal costs will continue to rise. And that will be a challenge. Our audiences can only take so much of a price increase, which means we will have less money to market and to deliver. So I expect it to be a smaller business. I always say that you want it to be a healthy and sustainable business and that’s absolutely the way we run it.

On being a media company instead of a magazine company: We don’t consider ourselves a magazine company at all. We consider ourselves a media company, with video first. We definitely lead with video. That is absolutely where consumers are going, where advertisers are going and as I said, we love our video brands. That’s what makes us and we take care of all parts of our business.

On the challenges she faces moving into 2024: Trying to understand what the situation with ad rates is going to be. I think the Google algorithm changes have affected all of us permanently. So those are big challenges, but I always say in this market you have to be excellent at pivoting and we’re excellent at pivoting. When we can do better with one partner than another we shift our resources. And the team is very adept and very agile.

On the most pleasant surprise of 2023: I’ll tell you a great print surprise. If you remember Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, which were renamed Select Editions, well we relaunched them as Fiction Favorites and it was the highest renewals that we have seen in years. And that was great. That was great to see that people are reading books in print and how great for a Reader’s Digest product that’s been alive for decades to see such a great burst of energy. That was a really wonderful surprise for us on the print side.

On the biggest disappointment of 2023: I think seeing continued postal increases has just been what I call, a criminal act. It was such a blow to all of us. So it’s a huge disappointment that we continue to get those increases and have no way to pass that on to our consumers.

On whether it’s easier to establish an audience for a print brand going to digital or a pure digital product: I think launching digital brands is very hard. It’s very hard to give them the weight that a print brand has. So that would probably be the difference.

On whether she thinks AI will be a friend or a foe to the publishing industry: I think AI is brilliant and fantastic and that it will make us much more efficient. It will allow us to analyze our data much more quickly to determine what data is meaningful and determine what our audiences are looking for. It can help us to pivot even more quickly.

On whether she feels curation in print is more important than ever: Yes, we named Jason Buhrmester to be the chief content officer of all of our print brands to make sure all of our print brands were really getting the necessary focus. We didn’t want them to be less important than their digital siblings. So we feel great about that and that we’re putting the right focus on print and that our leaders are doing the right print curation.

On anything she’d like to add: I’m an optimist by nature. I always tell my team it’s head in the clouds, feet on the ground. We have to understand what’s really happening in the marketplace and be disciplined and data-informed, which we are. And I think we make our decisions carefully and mindfully and we will adjust accordingly.

On what keeps her up at night: The economy. Really understanding what’s going to happen with interest rates. I think the amount of job loss within the industry has been exceptional. And I think that is a big one. Watching what happens with AI and what happens with Google search, both are very big forces and we don’t fully know the impact of them yet on our business.

And now the lightly edited Mr. Magazine™ interview with Bonnie Kintzer, president & CEO, Trusted Media Brands.

Samir Husni: How would you describe 2023?

Bonnie Kintzer: I think it was, obviously, a very challenging year. On the print side, we did quite well. We saw great renewals and really terrific response rates to our digital initiatives on the magazine, so I actually think from a print perspective we were very happy. On the digital side we saw a lot of challenges with Google and I think we have responded in kind to that. We had a fantastic December and I think it was a year of transition as in some ways they all are.

Samir Husni: What’s your forecast for 2024?

Bonnie Kintzer: I think our purposefulness will continue to be strong. I think we’re very focused on our four brands; we have four very strong magazines. I think the newsstand will continue to be a challenge, but our direct marketing, whether it’s the mail or digital, continues to do really well. So we feel really good about it.

Advertising in print is a little up and down, so obviously we’ve always been consumer-driven and we’ll continue to be consumer-driven, although we love our advertising partners. Digitally, I think it will be much more about the higher engagement of every visitor because I think search will continue to be challenged. But I think we have very deep relationships with our audience already and we’ll just focus on deepening them.

Of course, we also have a thriving social and streaming business. We ‘re very big in video now, that’s really the biggest part of our business and that continues to perform well for us.

Samir Husni: Why do you think in this digital age that your print is still doing well? What’s your secret?

Bonnie Kintzer: Because our brands are really beloved, and we focus on four not a larger amount like we used to. I do think too that we were very thoughtful in focusing on the titles that had the longevity, such as Reader’s Digest.

Our brands also live in many different platforms, so if you love Taste of Home, you can love it online and in print, and don’t forget we have a very big book business too unlike other publishers. And our book business and our magazine business work hand in hand.

Reader’s Digest continues to be a powerhouse and performing strongly. As you know, Reader’s Digest is the fabric of many people’s homes; it’s the magazine for everybody. Everyone is included in our title. I think everybody responds very well to that.

Samir Husni: Do you feel that when you buy the magazine on the newsstand or get it in the mail that it’s a different experience than going on the website?

Bonnie Kintzer: Oh yes, and it always will be. Reader’s Digest is the greatest example of successful print because part of it is the physical nature of the product; the fact that it’s small and pocket-sized and you can take it anywhere.

But it’s also the emotional arc. If you read that print magazine you know that you will be entertained, you’ll chuckle at the jokes, you’ll learn something; you might even get a little teary at a story. You can’t have that experience on the web. On the web you’re searching for something or you’re reading something, but you’re unlikely to have that emotional arc and I think that is truly the beauty of the Reader’s Digest magazine.

Samir Husni: When you see something in print do you feel that it’s more truthful than digital?

Bonnie Kintzer: Certainly, we don’t treat our writing that way. (Laughs) I couldn’t comment on other publishers, but we think our web is truthful as is our print.

Samir Husni: I read that you’re closing the Reader’s Digest in Canada. Are you going to substitute that edition with the United States edition?

Bonnie Kintzer: The Canadian audience will have that option. As you know, Canada is a very small market and it’s a very difficult market from a postal perspective. And I think the team did a fantastic job, but we’re about focus. I can’t emphasize that enough.

And I think focus is what helps us to continue to be successful. You have to focus on where the opportunity is and I think that we do that in everything we do. We’re quite disciplined and don’t let the emotion get in the way. We love our products, but we know that in the end we’re running a business and serving an audience. And that’s what we focus on.

Samir Husni: I call 2023 the year of the bookazine because there was more than 1,200 bookazines on the newsstands compared to only 71 new magazines launched, with only one monthly. I know you’re big on books, but are you involved in the bookazine business?  

Bonnie Kintzer: We have some bookazines, but it’s really not where we focus. I would say that the newsstand channel is quite broken and we really try to focus on areas where we can have impact. And we have not been able to have great impact on the newsstand. Again, not our focus.

Samir Husni: Is Reader’s Digest still the number one brand in your stable?

Bonnie Kintzer: Yes, in print. And we have other brands outside of print with the FailArmy, The Pet Collective, and the WeatherSpy, People Are Awesome, and we also love our video brands. We launched At Home with Family Handyman, which is a streaming channel, obviously in partnership with Family Handyman. But of the four print brands, yes, Reader’s Digest is the biggest and doing incredibly well.

Samir Husni: You’ve brought the company out of debt; are you still out of debt?

Bonnie Kintzer: No, we took on debt when we bought Jukin Media two and a half years ago.

Samir Husni: Where do you see the whole magazine media business heading?

Bonnie Kintzer: I think it will continue to get smaller and I think postal costs will continue to rise. And that will be a challenge. Our audiences can only take so much of a price increase, which means we will have less money to market and to deliver. So I expect it to be a smaller business. I always say that you want it to be a healthy and sustainable business and that’s absolutely the way we run it.

Samir Husni: And you’ve already diversified; I remember you told me last year that you were no longer a magazine company, but a media company.

Bonnie Kintzer: Absolutely. We don’t consider ourselves a magazine company at all. We consider ourselves a media company, with video first. We definitely lead with video. That is absolutely where consumers are going, where advertisers are going and as I said, we love our video brands. That’s what makes us and we take care of all parts of our business.

Samir Husni: What are the challenges that face you as you move into 2024?

Bonnie Kintzer: Trying to understand what the situation with ad rates is going to be. I think the Google algorithm changes have affected all of us permanently. So those are big challenges, but I always say in this market you have to be excellent at pivoting and we’re excellent at pivoting. When we can do better with one partner than another we shift our resources. And the team is very adept and very agile.

Samir Husni: What was the most pleasant surprise of 2023?

Bonnie Kintzer: I’ll tell you a great print surprise. If you remember Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, which were renamed Select Editions, well we relaunched them as Fiction Favorites and it was the highest renewals that we have seen in years. And that was great. That was great to see that people are reading books in print and how great for a Reader’s Digest product that’s been alive for decades to see such a great burst of energy. That was a really wonderful surprise for us on the print side.

The launching of At Home with Family Handyman on Samsung has been exceptional. We love that we can take this 70-year-old print brand and make it a part of the streaming universe. It’s very exciting.

Samir Husni: And what was the biggest disappointment of 2023?

Bonnie Kintzer: I think seeing continued postal increases has just been what I call, a criminal act. It was such a blow to all of us. So it’s a huge disappointment that we continue to get those increases and have no way to pass that on to our consumers.

Samir Husni: Since you’ve dealt with print brands going to digital and pure digital, which do you think is easier to establish an audience for?

Bonnie Kintzer: I think the beauty of print is that the brand is so revered. Our print brands have been around for a long time, they really mean something as opposed to launching a new brand that doesn’t have a history. So I think the beauty of print is having such a great history. When you have something like Reader’s Digest or Taste of Home, it already has this incredible stamp of approval.

I think launching digital brands is very hard. It’s very hard to give them the weight that a print brand has. So that would probably be the difference.

Samir Husni: Do you feel that AI is going to be a friend or a foe to the publishing business?

Bonnie Kintzer: I think AI is brilliant and fantastic and that it will make us much more efficient. It will allow us to analyze our data much more quickly to determine what data is meaningful and determine what our audiences are looking for. It can help us to pivot even more quickly.

I think the AI impact on search is by far the most worrisome. But we will have to answer that by strengthening our relationships and making what’s strong even stronger. 

Samir Husni: Do you feel that the curation part of print is now more essential than ever?

Bonnie Kintzer: Yes, we named Jason Buhrmester to be the chief content officer of all of our print brands to make sure all of our print brands were really getting the necessary focus. We didn’t want them to be less important than their digital siblings. So we feel great about that and that we’re putting the right focus on print and that our leaders are doing the right print curation.

Creation is critical. You think about all of our titles; Taste of Home we’re curating the best set of recipes so that you can make fantastic meals. I hear from people all of the time about Family Handyman and what’s important to the home this month or new products; curation is critical and a magazine does that so well. I think we are doing a great job and focused in the right manner.

Samir Husni: Anything you’d like to add?

Bonnie Kintzer: I’m an optimist by nature. I always tell my team it’s head in the clouds, feet on the ground. We have to understand what’s really happening in the marketplace and be disciplined and data-informed, which we are. And I think we make our decisions carefully and mindfully and we will adjust accordingly.

Samir Husni: Are you still having fun?

Bonnie Kintzer: I am the longest consecutive CEO next to DeWitt Wallace of this company. I’m almost at 10 years and I’m still having fun. And I still love the team and the brands.

Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?

Bonnie Kintzer: The economy. Really understanding what’s going to happen with interest rates. I think the amount of job loss within the industry has been exceptional. And I think that is a big one. Watching what happens with AI and what happens with Google search, both are very big forces and we don’t fully know the impact of them yet on our business.

Samir Husni: Thank you.