Naysayers need to look at bigger picture--Magazines still alive and kicking.

Canadian magazines blogger and magazine expert DB Scott, says that despite the recent closures of some magazines--Christian Science Monitor stopping their print edition; Men's Vogue being reduced to a supplement; Portfolio laying off 20% of its staff; Radar folding; American magazines reporting reduced ad pages--the legacy print product is still thriving. Magazines will continue to do well as long as value and quality are being delivered to readers.

- there is little evidence readers are abandoning magazines
- with an uncertain economy, a magazine subscription remains a constant
- magazine subscriptions are already so under-priced that they are not a significant bleeder to one's personal economy
- new media is not the solution. The jump onto the web bandwagon still must have carefully considered subscriber bases in order to be profitable.
- most magazines (ed note: especially Alberta mags) are small, nimble, adaptable

That said, there is reason to be optimistic about the industry, despite high profile news about our US counterparts.

Related links:
- Canadian Magazines blog
- The Great Magazine Die-Off
- Magazine Mourners gather at Radar wake
- Some Print Deaths Unmourned Amid Carnage

Unlisted Summit: calling next generation leaders

Sign up today to attend the Unlisted Summit, presented by Unlimited magazine and the Chartered Accountants of Alberta. Taking place at the state-of-the-art Banff Centre in the beautiful Rocky Mountains on Nov.30- Dec. 2, the Unlisted Summit is a ground-breaking networking and professional development conference that will be attended by Canada’s top 20-35 year old professionals and entrepreneurs. Ben Barry (CEO, the Ben Barry Agency – the modeling agency behind the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty) will be headlining the event which also features sessions on financial planning, creativity and innovation, business planning and team-building.

Employers: send your promising young employees and benefit from an inspired and connected workforce. Or, if you’re a young entrepreneur or professional, register yourself or get your employer to sponsor your attendance. Go to unlimitedmagazine.com/unlisted for more information. It’s going to be the event of your career!

Masthead Calls it Quits After 21 Years

Canada's Magazine Industry publication Masthead and Masthead Online announced today that the November/December 2008 issue of Masthead will be the last, after 21 years of publication.

North Island Publishing Inc. president Alexander Donald is quoted on Masthead Online saying “We are very proud of the service Masthead has provided the magazine industry over the years, but the magazine has not been financially viable for several years now and structural changes in the market have created even more challenges. We’ve taken a decision to focus our company’s resources on other projects in our other markets.”

"We want to thank the readers, writers, illustrators, photographers and advertisers who supported our efforts,” says Donald. “I especially want to thank current and past staff members who believed so much in the magazine and made it an institution in the industry. It is a sad day for us.”

Masthead's publisher, North Island Publishing Inc. will continue to work on its other project, Design Edge Canada, which is a magazine and website for graphic design industry professionals.

Masthead has played an integral role in the support and development of the magazine publishing industry in Alberta and across Canada. It is truly upsetting to learn that such an influential and iconic publication will no longer be available, and we thank everyone at Masthead and North Island Publishing for all of their work over the years.

For more information, please visit www.mastheadonline.com

Source Media Group celebrates its 5th

Source Media Group, publishers of the newly re-designed Western Canadian Resorts magazine, now known simply as, Resorts, celebrated its fifth anniversary on October 1st with Oktoberfest celebrations in Calgary and Edmonton. Clients, suppliers, contractors, staff, family and friends feasted on bratwurst and sauerkraut, washed down by beer served in etched Source Media Group 5th Anniversary mugs (which they were then invited to keep).

In terms of the newly designed Resorts, associate publisher Jim Zang says, “The changes are dramatic in scope. We’ve changed the content, both in terms of where we go and how we cover each destination, the design of the magazine, and even the distribution."

He credits his team for a smooth transition, "Our creative director Lynn Campbell, was given carte blanche to do a re-design and did a fantastic job. Likewise, our new Resorts editor, Laurie Papineau, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience--not to mention amusing personal travel stories--to the team.”

In conjunction with the new magazine, a new website was launched at www.resortsmag.com. Congratulations!

New TechLife Preview!

One of our favourite Alberta magazines, TechLife, has posted an exciting preview of their new issue on YouTube.

Catch a sneak preview of stories including: Pet Project, Olympic Training Venue, How to Build a House in a Day, etc. As always, it looks spiffy, exciting, and relevant.

Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/techlifemag

Magazines = Money. Mags show highest ROI compared to other media.

Are you an advertiser looking for the best ROI? You'd do well then to advertise in magazines. According to a study posted in MediaDaily News by Marketing Evolution, magazines (the most cost-effective) beat out TV (media that gets the most ad dollars) and online in both brand familiarity and intent to purchase.

In terms of brand familiarity, magazines reached 181 people per $1000 compared to 100 for for TV and 101 for online. In terms of dollars, it cost $1.40 per capita to increase brand familiarity with magazines, versus $2.61 for TV and $2.58 for online.

Magazines also laid a smackdown in terms of purchase intent, influencing 145 people (compared to 100 for TV, 68 for online. Again, in terms of dollars, magazines cost $1.23 per person to create that impact, versus TV's $1.77 and online's $2.61.

RAMM Launch Party a Huge Success!

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Thursday to celebrate the launch of Read Alberta Magazines Month! Art Central was swarming with artists, writers, publishers and general magazine-lovers who enjoyed a plethora of exciting and delicious exhibitions by our Alberta magazine-profiled guests.

Now that everyone is pumped for RAMM, be sure to come out to some of the other events and panel discussions we've got going on in October. The first event is our 'How to Pitch' panel TODAY at the SAIT Polytechnic campus (1301 - 16 Avenue NW), from 3:00 - 5:00 pm in the Senator Burns building, room R112.

We hope to see you all there, and at all of the other fabulous RAMM events throughout the month!

Check out some pictures of the RAMM Launch 2008 excitement below.

Media RAMMpage and launch party

Avenue Edmonton's editor Colin McGarrigle spoke to CKUA's Chris Allen on Arts Alive yesterday about the many events in Alberta surrounding RAMM. Didn't know? Now you will. Listen to the interview here.

This morning, Breakfast Television's Jill Belland spoke to some RAMM exhibitors about what they will be showing at the RAMM kick-off party at Art Central tomorrow night. Check out the BT website.

Come party with us!

The Alberta Magazines office has been busy prepping for our Read Alberta Magazines Month (RAMM) launch party at Art Central tomorrow! Join us as magazines come to life. Exhibitors featured in Alberta magazines will woo you with their wares (with demos, tastings, displays).

There will also be music, a scavenger hunt with fantastic prizes, a chance to win a trip to Canmore via our Read & Win contest (thanks to Bellstar and Travel Alberta) and the whole reason we're doing this - Alberta magazines! And LOTS of them!

Exhibitors include:

• Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts
• Excess Wines
• Bob Harriman, cartoonist, featured in AirdrieLIFE
• Gourmet Gateau, featured in AirdrieLIFE
• Veronica Funk, painter featured in AirdrieLIFE
• Sort-it-Out, professional organizer featured in Calgary’s Child
  

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Art Central, 100 7th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB

5:00 - 9:00 pm

Free event, open to the public