Web shadow looms large for newsweeklies
An interesting question is raised in a recent USA Today report on the declining circ of newsweeklies such as Time, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report (no mention of Maclean's, of course). In it, Samir Husni (who claims and is granted the title "Mr. Magazine" for reasons that continually evade me) is quoted arguing that the pursuit of website development carries with it the seeds of redundancy for its print-parents. Far from connecting readers to both, those readers will eventually get all the information they need from the web, in which case why do they need the magazine? The column also makes an interesting comparison between the spurt in growth of celebrity-junk titles like US and In Touch, compared with their more sober cousins. Which may explain why The Toronto Star is taking a plunge with its own such magazine.
[To read the column, click on the headline of this item.]
[To read the column, click on the headline of this item.]
posted by D. B. Scott at
10:56 am
4 Comments:
Hey D.B.,
Here's why Husni is Mr. Magazine: http://www.mrmagazine.com/home.html
I used to tap him now and again for U.S. info when I was editor of Masthead.
Best,
Walsh
I am skeptical of people who brand and trademark themselves. As far as I can see, his views are no better informed than other people in the business, despite his data and his lists. He's willing to express his views, anytime, anywhere, to anyone. He also has the luxury of a university budget to buy everything on the newsstand and a raft of graduate students to do the actual work. And, by the way, he should be dubbed "Mr. American Magazine" since, from what I heard of his recent presentation at Mags U, he knows nothing about magazines published outside of the US of A.
Nope. Like I said, I dislike such branding. My opinion is not much better than the next guy's; but thanks for the vote of confidence!
Then we'll just have to find someone to call "Ms Magazine."
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