Archive for May 12th, 2008

Editor Parts Ways with PC World

May 12th, 2008

According to a post on Harry McCracken’s website, as of June 2 he will be stepping down as editor-in-chief of PC World to pursue his own technology site.  Although it is widely known that McCracken and PC World CEO clashed often, the award-winning editor says he loved his job and is resigning to seek the new challenges [...]

Emmis Year-End Revenue Flat Overall, Publishing Group Up

May 12th, 2008

Emmis Communications, publisher of regional titles such as Atlanta, Cincinnati and Texas Monthly, reported fiscal fourth quarter and year-end results for the period ending February 29.  Overall, revenues were flat at $361.2 million over the same period in 2007.  The publishing group reported year-end revenues of $83.5 million, up from the prior year. Folio (May [...]

Budget Travel Takes User-Generated Content To Extreme

May 12th, 2008

For its June issue, Budget Travel has allowed readers to generate all of the text and photographic content for the magazine.  Exactly how to use user-generated content has been discussed for some time, but Budget Travel has pushed the concept further than most.  The issue is nearly 100-percent user-generated, save for the “40 Best Deals” [...]

Scott Crystal Optimistic About TVG Changes

May 12th, 2008

“We enter this phase upbeat and confident,” says TV Guide president Scott Crystal.  Crystal seemed optimistic in describing the changes at TV Guide and the coming separation from Macrovision.  TV Guide had a profitable first quarter and ad pages are down only slightly from 2007.  “This is an era when all of the media paradigms [...]

P&G Mulls Promotion Spend Pull-Back

May 12th, 2008

CPG giant and ad industry champion Proctor & Gamble Co. is “…running market-mix modeling and market return-on-investment analyses…” that may herald a reduction in couponing, online offers, or brand sites.  Business Courier of Cincinnati  (May 9, 2008)

Bewkes Purported to Be Looking At Publishing For Cuts

May 12th, 2008

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes is reported to be looking to the Time Inc. publishing unit to further reduce costs.  Bewkes recently shuttered or consolidated three studios in the filmed-entertainment division.  Southern Progress Corp., a standalone unit that publishes among other things Southern Living and CookingLight, has been tipped as a possible target for auction.  [...]

Bridal Mags Break the Mold

May 12th, 2008

With its summer issue, Condé Nast’s Elegant Bride, a quarterly aimed at affluent brides in their thirties, unveils a redesign, including an updated logo, a cover cake instead of a cover model, no cover lines, and a softened color palette, all emphasizing ‘upscale.’   As well, Modern Bride will continue to flaunt sex a regular [...]

Norman Pearlstine Takes Top Content Job at Bloomberg

May 12th, 2008

The former editor in chief of Time Inc. was named chief content officer of Bloomberg L.P. today.  The New York Times  (May 12, 2008)

New Owners of ‘02138′ Plan Social Networking Expansion

May 12th, 2008

Manhattan Media, a small New York publisher, has purchased the magazine 02138, which targets Harvard alumni and is named for the university’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, zip code, from Atlantic Media.  The new owners plan to expand the brand into social networking and event sponsorship, and duplicate the operation for other Ivy League schools.  The New York Times  (May [...]

Jonas Bonnier on company growth, the ‘20 Year Horizon’, and the Web

May 12th, 2008

Mediaweek sat down with Bonnier Group CEO Jonas Bonnier more than a year after the company acquired 18 well-known magazine brands from Time Inc.  He spoke about why Bonnier is not Time Inc., “the upside of hard times, the further acquisitions he plans and why magazines don’t need the web.”  Mediaweek (May 12, 2008)