A two-bit magazine

In an act that smacks of something close to desperation, Torstar's Weekly Scoop will be selling this week to consumers for 25 cents instead of its regular cover price of $2.99. It returns to regular price next week.

"Readers who have read Weekly Scoop once tell us they love our celebrity news, style and entertainment coverage and they become repeat buyers," saidVivian Vassos, Editor-in-Chief, Weekly Scoop in a news release. "We look forward to providing more Canadians with access to Weekly Scoop and its unique celebrity content, Canadian fashion and beauty at this promotional price."

"This 25 cents issue is a popular industry tactic for new magazines that is designed to give people the opportunity to try the magazine at a low price," said Tracy Day, Director of Advertising.

What Day doesn't say is that usually such giveaway promotions are introductory, not made 5 months after launch.

And the pricing stunt is tacit admission that, in the crowded field of celebrity titles, the Scoop is falling flat. Not good news for the yet-to-be-published Rogers celebrity franchise Hello!

UPDATE: Of course there are other perspectives. Here is the item as reported by Strategy Magazine's Media in Canada newsletter:

Celeb mag category heats up; Weekly Scoop goes for a quarter

As Paris Hilton says: "It's hot." She might very well be speaking of the heat generated by the celebrity gossip magazine category. In Canada, Torstar's entry, Weekly Scoop, is on offer this week for a mere quarter -- a price point designed for mass consumption. "Celebrity gossip rags are doing very well in Canada. It's something new, something different for us here. In the U.S., it's just going nuts down there," says a Toronto-based media planning manager who asked not to be named. "Advertisers want Canadian players that we can put media dollars to. This [category] attracts a young demo, and it's weekly, so there's a frequency opportunity."