Tina Brown: Fear for the future of the content, not just the medium

Tina Brown says our concern should not be just with the future of magazines or newspapers, but the future of journalistic integrity, which is increasingly diminished when content is free.  Brown spoke to Chicago Tribune's Phil Rosenthal. Read it here.  

Magazine Ad Revenue Will Remain Dicey Even When Economy Rebounds

Ad age says magazines need to focus on "subs, apps, events and innovations" to be profitable in the future. Key points:

• ad pages in the monthlies in September were down 22 percent.

• this can't be blamed entirely on the recession.

• magazines can't depend on advertisers to return once the economy recovers.

• readers still want magazines--more than 189 million U.S. adults read a magazine in the past 30 days, according to Mediamark Research and Intelligence. And consumers still trust magazine advertising more than advertising on the web, radio, or TV.

Read the entire article here.

Despite Recession, Foodies Love Their Magazine

Advertising Age says this about Food Network magazine: 

The popular cable network made a risky foray into publishing in 2009, the most challenging year the magazine industry has seen in decades, and came out swinging. Since switching from quarterly to every-other-month frequency in the spring, the title announced it will see its rate base expand from 400,000 at launch to 1 million by January 2010 -- some six months ahead of schedule, according to its publishers at Hearst.

Top 20 Magazine Websites

24/7 has done a list of the top 20 magazine websites.  Check it out here.  Their criteria:

The sites were rated “A” though “F” based on: 1) strength of content; 2) ease of use and navigation; 3) use of new technology and online tools including comment sections, message boards, and multimedia; 4) layout; 5) presence of a strong set of advertisers;  and 6) size of audience based on unique visitor data from June measurements by Compete.com.  Each listing shows Compete data for June 2009 and in brackets the figures for the same month a year ago. Some of these figures are likely to be affected because several of the magazines on the list, Time and Newsweek , share their content with news portals including CNN.com and MSNBC.com.  The traffic numbers may be skewed by that. Two organizations had more than one publication in the Top Twenty: AAA and AARP. The on-line publications owned by these organizations were grouped under their parent organizations.

Drake's Magazines Win More Awards

New awards for the talented Drake students in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's Magazine contest:

Think magazine won first place for general excellence; first place, design; and second place, editorial excellence.  Emma Barker was editor-in-chief. 

Drake Magazine won second place for design (junior Annie Fuhrman designed both Think and Drake Mag); third place, editorial; and third place, service article (by Tara Richards et al). Tara Richards was editor in chief.

DrakeMag Online won 2nd place for online magazines. Matt McGuire was online editor. 

I've included judges comments on the design award below.  I selected these to highlight because I love it when Drake magazines win both first and second places.

Single Issue of an Ongoing Magazine—Design 

Judge: Bob Gray, design consultant for aarp.org and former design editor at National 

Geographic 

 

First Place 

Think  

Why It Won: Great use of strong imagery along with a solid design brings Think up from 

last year’s second place to the winner’s spot. The results show the design team was 

thinking on many levels to meet the challenge of creating a controlled underlying structure 

that allowed them to orchestrate weighty and sobering stories in a surprising and visually 

engaging way.  

Highlights: 

• Use of provocative imagery with typographic design in a supporting role. 

• Use of color-coding for organization of departments. Nicely sets them apart from 

the features.  

• Controlled typography. Good, readable text type, but needed a little more attention 

to widows and character/word spacing when using justified setting.  

• Effective use of the 7 5/8-inch x10-inch trim size especially with images.  

• Use of infographics, sidebars, timelines as additional entry points throughout the 

magazine. 

Second Place 

Drake  

Why It Won: Deft integration of engaging photography with creative typographic 

treatments kept me turning the pages. This magazine consistently makes the top three 

so I congratulate not only the students, but the program directors as well. The design is 

consistently well organized with good margin space, column widths and solid 

typesetting. The photography is well-played on the pages and the use of periodic design 

devices create a pleasing visual structure.  

Cover: Unfortunately the weakest component of this issue, though still following 

enough rules to stay solid. I wish the concept (which is good) had been further 

explored. 

Front and Back of the Book: Strong, yet underplayed graphics help readers know 

where they are throughout the magazine. The controlled design allows for breakouts on 

departments without sacrificing consistency. Again, the conceptual photography and 

design solutions on are excellent.  

Highlights: 

• Concept, photography, design, white space, and color choice of “In Transition” 

feature. Beautiful! 

• Contents page 

• Design and photography in Spare Change department 

New Job Posting: Managing Editor

Lexicon Consulting, a Des Moines media firm, is looking for a managing editor.   The person will replace Julie Collins (Drake -05).  Check it out here.

Des Moines Freelance Summit July 18

iowa society of professional journalists 

freelance summit 2009

who: Editors from local publications including Meredith Corp. and The Des Moines 

Register will be available to talk about their work and how you can get involved 

in writing, copy editing, photography, graphic design and web development. 

Come learn about possible opportunities in Greater Des Moines, network with 

editors and discover best practices to running your freelance business. 

what: Activities include roundtable networking, where editors and freelancers will 

meet in small groups, and a panel discussion featuring both seasoned editors and 

freelancers who can answer your questions. A complete list of editors and itiner- 

ary will be published here in June. 

when: Saturday, July 18, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Registration begins at 9) 

where: Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust St., Des Moines 

fee: Before July 3: $20 for members and $30 for nonmembers 

        July 3 and after: $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers 

        *Includes roundtables, light breakfast and lunch. 

For more information, e-mail iowaspj@gmail.com 

Newsweeklies trying to follow The Economist--finally

The Atlantic has an excellent article evaluating why The Economist continues to gain readers and advertisers while Time and Newsweek shrink into irrelevance.  Newsweek's recent redesign follows The Economist's lead--but, as the article says, it's about ten years too late.   Yes, the economy is hurting the media, but the media are also hurting themselves, and have been for decades.  In this article, Michael Hirschorn explains some of the many ways American magazines miss the mark—and miss their audience's needs.  Good reading.

Flair Magazine Founding Editor Dies

Fleur Cowles, who started one of the most graphically innovative magazines ever—Flair magazine, published for the full year of 1950—has died in London.  Fleur visited Drake in the 1990s and offered her inimitable insight.  In preparation for the book I was writing, I asked her what magazine she would read  if she could choose only one.  "I would start my own," she said.

Fleur motivated The Telegraph of London to run an unusually cheeky and entertaining obituary. Read it here.

Rest in high fashion, Fleur. (Her name was actually Florence, and she preferred to think she was 92, not 101.)

DEAR PEP: How do I dress for a job interview?

DEAR PEP: I just landed a job interview at a magazine for early next week, but I'm not sure what to wear. Are suits necessary at magazine/newspaper/publishing jobs? If not, what is the typical outfit for the perfect interview? Obviously I want to show that I'm a serious candidate, but I thought a suit might be too stuffy for the job. Any help would be greatly appreciated!—New Grad.

DEAR GRAD: No, a suit is not necessary is you are applying on the creative side—as a writer or designer. You might get a little more formal if you are applying for the business side or are headed to a trade publication for a button-down field such as law or business. For writers and designers, in general, you just need to wear your best duds, but you can go slightly casual. Make sure everything is clean, pressed, and clear of lint, dog hair, or any other tacky embellishments. Make sure your shoes are clean and nicely polished.

Some suggestions:

FOR WOMEN:

• Your best slacks or a skirt that is at least knee length. It’s nice that you have great gams, but this is not the time to show them off.

•A top that fits you well and is cut so it covers your breasts. Again, this is no time to show off, so keep your busty beauty to yourself.  

•A casual jacket would work well and will come in handy for meetings and other occasions once you get the job.

• Appropriate shoes. If you don’t wear stilettos (good for you, your feet will thank you in 20 years), this is no place to start. Heels are fine if you have them, but nice flats work just as well. Avoid nun shoes. And wear socks just this once—you can find comfy-knee highs and thigh-highs. I would avoid open toes here, especially because they look really dorky with socks. If you must show off your toes, go commando, but do your nails.

FOR MEN:

• Your best slacks and a good belt. If your belt is showing wear, invest in a new one. Make sure the pants just hit the top of your shoes.  

• A clean, pressed shirt tucked in neatly. A dressy, long-sleeved button-up is best.

• A tie. Just this once. It won’t kill you.

• A sports jacket. No need for the full suit, but a sports coat is a nice touch and will come in handy later.

• Appropriate shoes. Nothing athletic at this point. Good leather, or faux leather.

Julie Collins Shares Writing Wisdom

Alum Julie Collins (o6)  has started a blog about her adventures as a freelance writer.  She offers solid  advice and perspective at Julie Tries Writing.   

Alums on the tube

Wendy Naugle ('96) has become a Today Show favorite.  She was on May 11, talking about personal hygiene.  Should you walk barefoot in the gym?  Pick food up from the floor?  Wendy tells you when things  are bad for you and which are "filthy but fine."  It's tied to a "How Grody are You?" feature in Glamour, where Wendy is deputy editor. 

And watch for Joe Weisenfelder ('89) on the evening news as an expert on stories related to the auto industry.  He was most recently on the CBS Evening News Friday, May 8.  "If I'm wearing a suit at the office, everyone knows that something, somewhere, has gone wrong in the industry," Joe says. 

Think Magazine: Spring 09

Think magazine, started in 2007 as the capstone project for Drake magazine and news-Internet majors, will launch its third issue May 1.  Meanwhile, the online magazine is quite impressive. Check it out!

Drake students win more awards

Guess who won first, second AND third places in the Best Student Magazines category in the Society of Professional Journalist's regional awards last weekend?  It starts with a "D", ends with an "e" and it's not Duke. Check out the winning Drake magazines here.