I am looking for answers for a simple question: What is a magazine? I have my own idea and definition, but I would like to hear from others on how they define a magazine. I know it is a wide open ended question, but it will help to get feed back from the audience at large. Is the magazine a printed product? Does it have to publish at least four times a year to be considered a magazine? Does it have to be sold separate from, say, a newspaper? Is 60 minutes on CBS a magazine? Are sheets of paper inside a box a magazine? Is content packaged on the internet considered a magazine? I am hoping for a healthy debate…thanks
Countdown to Condé Nast Portfolio
March 17, 2007
Is Condé Nast Portfolio going to be the last major magazine launch from a major magazine company in the United States as some say? No, but the prophets of doom and gloom are running out of reasons to promote their “print is dead” concept. Every time they see a major launch on the horizon they promote it as the last and they start asking the “doubting Thomas” questions. On April 24 Condé Nast Portfolio will launch in print and on line, and it WILL BE the “the talk of the town.” The magazine promises to be “the most highly anticipated media event of 2007.” From what I’ve seen and heard so far, I have no doubt it WILL BE. Stunning photography and in depth reporting and analysis are going to be the anchors of the new magazine. Think The New Yorker meets Vanity Fair meets Vogue meets The Wall Street Journal, all trying to “captivate” YOU. Their media kit gives a glimpse of what I am talking about. Designed as the old accounting ledgers, the kit uses photography and typography in a way I rarely saw in such products. When opened the size of the spread is 34 inches wide and anything on the spreads will stop you and force to look and read. Unlike any other “event launch” that took place in years past, this one focuses on content and relevance, and not on publishers and editors. However, I must quickly add that when I visited with the group president and publishing director of Condé Nast Portfolio David Carey in New York City recently, I saw nothing but pride, passion and joy in his eyes every time he mentioned Portfolio, its content, its web site, its editor and staff and its ad pages. David Carey is going to be a proud daddy on April 24, 2007 and his “love of new magazines” is going to manifest itself in one healthy glossy baby named Portfolio.
Renovated Mr. Magazine™ web site
March 17, 2007I hope you that you’ve noticed the changes taking place on my web site mrmagazine.com. With the addition of the blog and the regular updates of all the new launches you will be able to keep up with the latest happenings in the magazine world we love and enjoy. When in comes to new magazine launches, you will see every single title with its cover picture and frequency. The magazines will be posted only, and only if we have the actual physical copy of the first issue. If we miss your new magazine, please feel free to send it to us and we will make sure it will be added to the list. Remember, change is the only constant in our business. We already listed the Jan. and Feb. titles from this year’s new crop of titles. I was able to find 58 new titles in Jan. with 21 titles published four times or more. In Feb. I was able to find 37 new titles with 18 published four times or more. See how that compares to last year’s numbers for the same two months. Let me know what you think of the renovated web site and hope to continue the conversation…all the best and many thanks to my fellow workers Garreth, Noah, Barrett and Fred.
Colophon 2007
March 16, 2007
I just came back from Luxembourg where I attended the first independent magazine conference. More than 500 editors, pubishers and art directors from all over the world were in attendance. The passion to our industry was second to none. I have been to many conferences before, but I have never seen as much love and passion for the magazine industry. You could feel the love in the air…and in the pages of the newly released book We Love Magazines. It is amazing, that as the only university professor in the crowd, I was the only one pushing the commercial role of magazines rather than only the emotional role. It was good enough for a laugh. Take a look at some of what took place at Colophon 2007, March 9 – 11. www.colophon2007.com. For info on the book We Love Magazines, check here for info.
The new Time magazine
March 16, 2007
Time magazine lost its newsweekly feel and put on a healthy glossy feel. Just received the first issue of the redesigned Time and felt the urge to write this blog before I even finish reading the issue. Hard to put down and lots to read over the weekend. The future of weekly magazines as we know it is here. A job very well done and a giant step toward how the newsweeklies are going to reinvent themselves and bring meaning and relevance to their content. There is no use in focusing on the future if we can not survive the present. Take a look at some sample pages from the redesigned Time…
