The Hockey News shucks newsprint pages and goes all-glossy November 8

New look on stands Nov. 8

Transcontinental Media's The Hockey News is giving up its long-time newsprint tabloid format and becoming a glossy magazine, in part to satisfy and attract more advertisers. According to a story in Marketing magazine, publisher Caroline Andrews has wanted to convert THN since arriving in 2007. First there was a glossy cover; now it will be glossy throughout.

"I think readers will really appreciate it… but more importantly, the decision to do it was mainly from an advertiser perspective, because there are many types of advertisers that want to align with our brand, but do not advertise in newspaper environments," said Andrews.

The magazine's ad rates have been increased by 10% to pay for the additional $100,000 in annual printing costs.

The magazine is also changing its editorial. Where once THN was one of the only go-to sources for the game data much beloved of hockey fans, that has been eclipsed by a variety of online sources (not least being the THN website). 

The usual team-by-team capsules, freelance-written by 30 correspondents from across the country will now be done in-house.  Jason Kay, the magazine's editor-in-chief since 2001, told the Vancouver Sun's Ian Walker

"Big picture, this a part of a lengthier evolutionary process. Over the years, we’ve modified our team reports and this next step is modifying them again – where we look at more in-depth coverage on a handful of teams and smaller blurbs on the rest of the league. We just didn’t see the value it in any longer. So, as we say, we have to mix up the business model a little bit to continue to make sense for us as the world around us changes.

"We’re still going to have our fingers on what’s going on in each market and we’re going to have relationships with all those 30 guys, but their bylines just won’t be appearing every week."

There is also to be a greater emphasis on writing and a greater focus on NHL-bound prospects; as a result minor and junior hockey reports will be all but eliminated.