Masthead News Archives
September 1999
Canadian Art adopts new logo for anniversary
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 30, 1999: To commemorate its 15th anniversary, Canadian Art has introduced a new logo, its fourth since launching in the fall of 1984. The change made its debut in the current fall 1999 issue. Art director Barbara Solowan says the logo went from taking up a third of the cover to its current home in the upper left-hand corner, making it easier to see--and sell--on the newsstand. The word "art" is now presented in lowercase letters, with each letter a different colour (the palette will change depending on the cover art). "It makes it a little bit more playful," says Solowan. Or, as editor Richard Rhodes writes in introducing the change, "Like its predecessors, it renders a take on the place and character of art in its time."
Contact: 416-368-8854
--Deanna Rosolen
Essential closes association title for locksmiths
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 29, 1999: After launching as a standalone magazine in February, Locksmith Information & Technology is now a section in a sister title at Essential Publications. According to publisher Bob Rodkin, the "market wasn't big enough" to support the new magazine, which lasted just three issues. Its content can now be found in the "Locksmith News" section in Security Products & Technology News. Published under contract by Toronto-based Essential Publications, the ill-fated title had served as the association magazine for The Assocation of Ontario Locksmiths. For more information on the original launch of Locksmith Information and Technology, see "Providing key information for locksmiths" in the July/August issue of Masthead magazine.
Contact: 416-289-1510
--Deanna Rosolen
Transcon's Good Times tests the newsstand
Montreal, P.Q., Sept. 28, 1999: For the first time since its launch almost 10 years ago, the magazine for "successful retirement" is hitting the newsstands--at least in Ontario. According to publisher Francine Tremblay, Good Times is testing the newsstand in September, October and November, with 5,000 copies distributed primarily in the Greater Toronto Area. Published by Montreal-based Transcontinental Publications, Good Times currently boasts a paid circulation of 150,000 for the English edition. The goal, says Tremblay, is to be on newsstands across the entire country in time for the magazine's 10th anniversary in March.
Contact: 514-273-9773
--Deanna Rosolen
Chatelaine lures Sally Armstrong to new post
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 22, 1999: Former Homemaker's editor-in-chief Sally Armstrong has joined former archrival Chatelaine magazine as editor-at-large. The move comes less than one week after her departure from Homemaker's. "I'm freelancing for Chatelaine," Armstrong confirmed today, "and will be doing a number of articles over the year." Homemaker's publisher Barrie Wykes says he was "a little surprised" by the announcement. "It's a bit inappropriate," he adds, referring to her title. "It's obviously an attempt by Chatelaine to make it sound like she is a staff person and that she left here to go there." Furthermore, Wykes says, the timing of the announcement unfairly reinforces this perception, given that Armstrong's articles are not slated to appear in Chatelaine until February 2000. Armstrong rejects the notion that her move to Chatelaine has tints of betrayal. "I was straight upfront," she says, explaining how she's simply doing what she said she'd do: return to school, freelance and write a book. "The point is, I have to earn a living." Armstrong says a non-competition agreement does not exist between herself and Homemaker's parent company, Telemedia. However, she says she signed a contract with Chatelaine precluding her from freelancing for competing titles, including Homemaker's. Chatelaine editor Rona Maynard could not be reached for comment.
Contact: 416-596-5425 (Chatelaine)
--William Shields
New title offers men more than titties and beer
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 17, 1999: "We're trying to make it a little bit more reachable for those who aren't just interested in women, beer and gadgets." So says co-publisher Neil Young of his new men's lifestyle magazine--iMPACT--which is slated to launch this month. According to Young, the Toronto-based title will target 19- to 35-year-old men with coverage of fashion, technology, film, music, sports, fitness/health, travel and current events. Readers will also find a "strong sexual component" in the digest-size publication, he adds. The section entitled "Stripped," for example, will cover adult entertainment, complete with movie listings, reviews and "journalistic profiles" of the stars. While iMPACT will also feature "sexy photo spreads," the magazine won't be X-rated, nor will it "push the lines of taste," says Young. Advertisers to date include local restaurants, bars and clubs, as well as fashion and hi-tech retailers, he says. The new, full-colour glossy will be distributed via health clubs, bars, colleges and universities throughout the GTA, Montreal, Windsor and Ottawa.
Contact: 416-873-4767
Frequency: 9/year
Circulation: 15,000
Cover price: free
Subscription: n/a
Colour ad: $1,500
--Deanna Rosolen
Sweetman, MacKay the latest to leave CMPA
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 16, 1999: Mere months after being named distribution manager for the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association (CMPA), David Sweetman has stepped down and returned to his previous employer. Sweetman, who joined the CMPA on May 10, returned to The News Group last month. According to a CMPA member bulletin, Sweetman--along with Glenn Morgan--will continue "to provide advice to further the CMPA's growing distribution network." The hunt for a replacement is now underway. Also leaving is research associate Heather MacKay, a former member of the now-defunct Bill C-55 "SWAT team." MacKay, who says she's leaving to pursue new opportunities, marks her final day tomorrow. In other personnel developments at the CMPA, Joe Hayden has been contracted as a customer service representative and Rick Miller has been hired as comptroller.
Contact: 416-504-0274
--The Editor
Membership growth leads to changes at PMB
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 15, 1999: Partly due to the expected arrival of ad-hungry U.S. magazines, the Print Measurement Bureau (PMB) is changing the way it surveys Canadians to measure magazine readership patterns. Starting in January, PMB will employ the "recent reading" technique, ending Canada's reputation as the last major market in the world to use the "through-the-book" methodology. The first results stemming from the new approach will appear in PMB's 2001 report. The change received "overwhelming endorsement" from PMB members during a special general meeting on Aug. 24, says Bureau president Steve Ferley. Of the 261 publishers, advertisers and agencies at the meeting--representing 79% of PMB's total membership--95% voted in favour of the switch. According to Ferley, the change was driven by the need for PMB to cut down on its research time due to expected growth in membership. As it stands, the time-consuming "through-the-book" approach was not designed for large numbers of titles, he says. With "through-the-book," study participants are asked to browse through--and become familiar with--specific issues of particular magazines before answering whether they've already read them. As for "recent reading," respondents are shown magazine logos and then asked if they've read any issue from within designated time frames. Notes Ferley: "It's quite a significant time saving." Already, PMB measures roughly 100 books and that number is expected to keep growing due to ongoing fragmentation within the medium, Ferley says, noting that the predicted influx of Canadian editions of foreign magazines was also a factor in prompting the switch. If anything, he says, the change harmonizes PMB's operations with the U.S. and other major markets. Another consideration was the quality of responses from study participants. "People's time pressures are getting greater and greater," says Ferley, explaining that the "quality of responses diminish" as participants are required to comment on more and more magazines. "It's really a confluence of factors which has come together in this point and time to make it right to change now," he observes, noting that in 1991 members turned down a similar proposal.
Contact: 416-961-3205.
--The Editor
Ishcom launches new trade for restaurateurs
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 14, 1999: In a bid to "branch out," Mississauga, Ont.'s Ishcom Publications Ltd. has served up a new trade title for food folks down east. Launched in March, Atlantic Restaurant News covers related industry and association news, restaurant openings and renovations, food and beverage trends, government legislation and trade shows. "If you have a food service, either commercial or institutional, you'd benefit from this publication," says publisher Steven Isherwood, noting that the tab's controlled circ goes to clubs, hotels, motels, resorts and healthcare facilities, among others. The full-colour glossy joins several other related titles in the Ishcom stable, including Ontario Restaurant News and Western Hospitality News.
Contact: 905-206-0150
Frequency: 6/year
Circulation: 5,100
Cover price: $5
Subscription: $15.95
Colour ad: $2,300
--Deanna Rosolen
Milestone obsessed parents get new magazine
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 13, 1999: Is my child acting normal for her age? According to Family Communications Inc. publisher Don Swinburne, that's one of the more common questions parents ask--especially new parents. And there to provide the answers next April, he says, will be Family's newest addition, Parents Canada. "[Parents are] always looking to find out at what stage their child is at," says Swinburne, noting that up to 40% of the digest-size magazine will be devoted to "developmental benchmarks." The rest of the book, he says, will cover topics such as nutrition, sleeping habits, childcare and common childhood ailments. Interestingly, the title's editorial content will follow the progression of its controlled readership: new parents will recieve the first issue when their children are six months old, and the second issue when their children turn one. Each issue will cover topics pertinent to each age group. According to Swinburne, advertisers to date range from baby product manufacturers to financial institutions to video and film companies. Over at category veteran Today's Parent Group, meanwhile, publisher Christopher Emery welcomes news of the launch. "The more people out there knocking on doors reminding advertisers and marketers about that [market]," he says, "the better off we all are."
Contact: 416-537-2604
Frequency: 2/year
Circulation: 200,000
Cover price: $2.95
Subscription: n/a
Colour ad: $11,000
--Deanna Rosolen
The Next City marks demise with current issue
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 10, 1999: There are no plans to relaunch The Next City, which folded this summer after exhausting its $1.4 million start-up grant from the philanthropic Donner Canadian Foundation. According to editor Lawrence Solomon, the current summer issue marks the award-winning quarterly's swan song. Launched in September 1995 by the consumer group Energy Probe, The Next City's focus on urban issues earned it seven National Magazine Awards during its four-year lifespan. At its launch, the title targeted Toronto's "movers and shakers" with a controlled circ of 50,000. Circulation dropped to between 8,000 and 10,000 after the first year, however, with the final issue posting a circulation of 15,000.
Contact: 416-964-9223
--Deanna Rosolen
Publisher plans to rationalize four titles
London, Ont., Sept. 7, 1999: Bowes Publishers Ltd. is merging its four magazines serving London, Ont., to create two new titles. "The market is not big enough as predicted for four magazines," says William Dempsey, president of the London-based publishing house. As of October, The Business Times and London Business Monthly will become Business London, while Bowes' two city books--City Life and London Magazine--will hit the newsstands as London City Life Magazine. The new business title will be published monthly, while the revamped city book will appear bimonthly, says Dempsey. Both titles will adopt a standard, glossy magazine format.
Contact: 519-471-8520
--Deanna Rosolen
International reports says ad spending is up
London, U.K., Sept. 2, 1999: Canadian magazines collectively earned $510 million last year, up $24 million over 1997, reports the U.K.-based International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP). And as a medium, says FIPP, magazines captured 7.2% of all advertising spending in Canada last year. The figures, compiled by FIPP and Zenith Media, are presented in the organization's annual report on the status of the international magazine industry, World Magazine Trends 1999/2000. Canada's gains are in line with an overall 5% jump in worldwide advertising spending. According to the report, which was released in mid-August, both consumer and trade magazines combined earned US$38.2 billion in advertising revenue last year. "This would be healthy at any time, but in a period of widespread economic uncertainty, it goes a long way to highlighting the strength of the medium," states the 174-page report. Ironically, the gains come at a time when the "widespread deregulation" of the world's television markets has taken a bite out of advertising spending in other media, FIPP reports. The overall ad share for newspapers, for example, has dropped from 40.4% in 1986 to 33.6 in 1998. Magazines have remained relatively stable, however, declining from 14.7% to just 13.4% since 1986. "Magazines have held on to much of their share of the global ad market because they offer unique environments for advertising," the fifth annual report concludes, predicting that the medium's share will remain above 13% until at least 2001.
Contact: 011 44 171 404 4169
--The Editor
Rogers scoops remaining shares in CB Media
Toronto, Ont., Sept. 1, 1999: Rogers Media Inc. now owns 100% of Canadian Business Media Ltd. after buying out the company's remaining minority shareholders.Prior to yesterday's deal--terms were not disclosed--Rogers owned just 61% of the company, which publishes Canadian Business and Profit magazines. Originally founded by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, CB Media was acquired in 1977 by Key Publishers' Michael de Pencier, Roy MacLaren and the late Alexander Ross, the magazine's founding editor. Maclean Hunter, which Rogers purchased in 1995, became a minority shareholder in 1988. By 1990 it had acquired a 61% stake in the company. Along with the two magazines, CB Media's holdings include Web sites, special events and Who's Who Publications. Meanwhile, Rogers has backtracked on plans to rename Maclean Hunter Publishing Limited as Rogers Media Inc.-Publishing (see "Family name," July/August issue of Masthead magazine). Instead, Canada's largest magazine publisher will now simply adopt the name of its parent company, Rogers Media Inc. While the previous name change was to have occurred in July, the new name will now be officially adopted on Oct. 1. Employees were notified of the change via a circular distributed last week. Plans to similarly rename Rogers Broadcasting Limited and Rogers New Media were also abandoned in favour of simply using Rogers Media Inc. According to Tim Root, chief financial officer and vice-president, finance, the change was made due to suggestions from within the company that the hyphenated names of the various divisions were too cumbersome.
Contact: 416-596-5926
--The Editor
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