CBP prez says trade publishing association should stay independent

[This post has been updated.]

Canadian Business Press president Phil Boyd has told Masthead magazine (sub req'd) that he is firmly in favour of maintaining an independent trade publishing organization. This comes on the heels of Rogers Media Publishing withdrawing its membership in CBP and announcing that it was in talks with Magazines Canada about a possible alliance.

Boyd said that the two associations' members had editorial and circulation models that are "fundamentally different".

(Interestingly, while John Milne, the senior vice-president of the Rogers business and professional group had spoken about the need for a unified voice, Magazines Canada has made no comment or any suggestion about a possible merger of the two associations.)

Boyd's remarks were somewhat less conciliatory than the tone immediately after (CBP's website said last week that it was interested in talks about working more closely together with Magazines Canada on merging two, annual competing conferences. That may still be true.)

“Most Western countries have two associations,” Boyd said. “One representing the interests of consumer magazine publishers and one representing the interests of business and professional publishers.”

As one example of the differences, Boyd said:

“[The CBP] believes controlled circulation magazines, which account for the bulk of business and professional titles, should receive PAP assistance,” Boyd said. “For obvious reasons, Magazines Canada would prefer that PAP was only available to paid circulation magazines."

[Phil Boyd points out that he actually said "members of Magazines Canada".]