Maisonneuve stakes future on Montreal

National? Or local? It has been a debate in the crowded, creative nest of Maisonneuve magazine in Montreal for some months and it apears that it has come down firmly on the side of morphing into Canada's newest city magazine.

Starting in September, it will focus on young, hip and happenin' English readers in Montreal, though it will continue to circulate single copies nationally. It's all a matter of money. National advertising is hard to get for a magazine with a relatively small and diffuse circulation; retail advertisers in Montreal have been reluctant to go into a magazine the majority of whose copies go off-island. It was, to use the Maritime expression, time to fish or cut bait.

“I feel excited and feel very privileged,” notes Derek Webster, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher in a release on the magazine's website. “Montreal, arguably North America’s most unique city, has not had a city magazine for over a decade! But Montreal has made a comeback—and Maisonneuve will capture the spirit and joie de vivre of this vibrant city.”

The new Maisonneuve plans a comprehensive direct-mail campaign in the spring and fall of 2006. Projected circulation for the fall launch is 30,000 with 20,000 paid, for a total readership of 240,000.