BPA/CCAB offering service to help companies comply with anti-spam legislation

Publishers who continue to be alarmed/overwhelmed by the provision of CASL, the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation, may be looking to third parties to help them navigate the shoals in this, the most stringent anti-spam legislation in the world. Coming into force July 1 and whose compliance requirements come into full bloom within three years, CASL poses a threat to the way publishers deal with existing customers and seek out new ones through such devices as direct mail and e-letters. At least in theory, failure to comply with CASL guidelines can result in significant financial penalties, including major fines. 

A division of BPA Worldwide/CCAB, well-known as a circulation auditor, is offering a new service called CASL-Guard which suggests it could reduce the risk. According to Richard Murphy, senior vice president, technology assurance, at BPA, a CASL-Guard third-party review can demonstrate that an organization exercised due diligence to prevent a violation. 

“Implementing a CASL compliance program, assessed by an independent review, can mitigate an organization’s liability in the event of a CASL infraction,” Murphy added.

Auditors will interview staff, examine documentation and test compliance. Companies that successfully complete the program will receive an iCompli CASL-Guard seal to promote their “certified” status.

PWAC dating game puts writers together with people needing them

The best opportunity of the year to meet Toronto freelance writers who can write a grant, or a speech or campaign materials is being offered by the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC). It's somewhere between speed dating and a pub crawl and it's called The Dating Game: Connecting Writers with the People Who Need Them. 

People who hire writers often say that finding a freelancer is like entering into a courtship. You get to know each other a little, and if there’s a spark, you take the relationship to the next level – assignments! But how do you meet that special someone? Join us for a fun and friendly networking event. Meet writers, people in creative industries and people in hiring positions from organizations across the GTA.

The event takes place at Paupers Pub, 539 Bloor St. W, (east of Bathurst) in Toronto from 7 to 9 pm on Monday, November 17.

People needing writers may respond to K.Lear[at]pwactoronto[dot]org and receive free admission, a free job posting on writers.ca (normally $69), a facilitated introduction to meet the right writer and entry into a contest to win a 5-pack of job postings worth $249. 

Registration is open to freelancers across the GTA, free for PWAC members. Members of associate writers’ groups $10 online registration (up to midnight before event) or $20 at the door Non-members $15 online registration (up to midnight before event) or $20 at the door.

Who better than me? Former publisher John Bart writes own death notice

Bart as a guest on BNN

The founder of Canadian ShareOwner magazine, John Bart, has died of cancer and took the unusual step of writing his own death notice in today's Globe and Mail.

"Most people are satisfied waiting for others to write about them after they're gone, but leaving things to others has never really been my style. And it hardly makes sense to change that now."

The  former  University of Windsor finance professor founded the Canadian ShareOwners Association and published its associated investing magazine starting in 1987. It was well known for recommending planned investing, using dollar-cost averaging. dividend reinvestment and building a portfolio of high-grade stocks and exchange-traded funds which could be bought through the association operating as investment dealer. 

Western Magazine Award winners

Up Here magazine from Yellowknife, edited by Aaron Spitzer, was celebrated as Western Canada magazine of the year at the 32nd annual Western

Best art direction, cover

Magazine Awards, presented at a gala last Friday in Vancouver. It was also  regional magazine of the year for Alberta and Northwest Territories.

MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR, BY PROVINCE

ALBERTA + NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

• Up Here, Aaron Spitzer, Editor

BRITISH COLUMBIA + YUKON

• Western Living, Anicka Quin, Editor-in- Chief

MANITOBA

• Border Crossings, Lisa Kehler, Editor

SASKATCHEWAN

• Saskatoon HOME, Rob Soulodre, Editor

BEST NEW MAGAZINE

• Homes & Living Magazine, Calgary, Michelle van der Merwe, Editor 

BEST ONLINE MAGAZINE

• MONTECRISTOmagazine.com, Kristin Ramsey, Editor 

BEST TRADE MAGAZINE

• AgAdvance Journal, Tracey Tjaden, Editor  

Read more »

MPA unveils new metrics and stops counting print ad pages

The Association of Magazine Media (MPA) in the U.S. has launched a new report called Magazine Media 360 which promises to capture unduplicated average consumer readership across multiple platforms, including print, digital editions, websites and video. Essentially, the MPA is abandoning the measurement of print by ad sales and circulation as its yardstick and 30 of the largest companies such as Condé Nast, Time Inc. and Hearst Magazines, publishing 147 of the major titles in the industry have signed on the the new service.

(Not coincidentally, the measurement of monthly and weekly ad page counts and circulation figures published for almost 70 years in the Media Industry Newsletter is being discontinued and MPA will no longer provide ad data from the Publishers Information Bureau free on its web site. Media reporters will have to pay for it.) 

The new approach relies not on audited information but on sampling of GfK MRI's Survey of the American Consumer, combined with unique visitors data about web traffic, mobile web and video measured by third parties such as comScore Media Metrix, Ipsos, comScore, Nielsen Online, Nielsen NetView and a separate social media report from SocialFlow to come out next month detailing numerical changes from month to month in each brand's Facebook likes and Pinterest, Google+, Instagram and Twitter followers.

“With Magazine Media 360, we finally have a comprehensive accounting of consumer demand for our brands, an imperative for the industry since, with the growth of new, rapidly evolving digital platforms, consumer demand is today’s media currency,” said MPA CEO Mary G. Berner in her presentation to the industry. “In fact, given the success of many magazine brands on those new platforms, continuing to rely on print circulation and ad paging counts in isolation to determine demand for magazine media would be like measuring the viewership of the Super Bowl exclusively based on the people who watched it in the stadium.”

Read more »

Second thoughts about single copy sales comparisons

Last week, in reporting sudden editorial management changes at Canadian Living,a post here referred to the recent circulation data to suggest that the drop in single copy sales may have somehow contributed to the departure of editor-in-chief Jennifer Reynolds and art director Stephanie White: 

"There have been no reasons given for the departure of the CL editorial team, and no public announcement, but it may not be entirely coincidental that the most recent newsstand sales numbers declined by 13.9%, something vitally important for a title which places such emphasis on the checkout. (During the same period competitor Chatelaine saw single copy sales increase 17.6%.)"

However a friend who is knowledgeable about such things points out that the detailed audit data from the AAM tells a different story than the publicly available topline data. Newsstand sales, in other words, may have had nothing to do with these key departures at TC Media.

For instance, the figures show that, in a fair comparison, Canadian Living outsold Chatelaine 2:1 on the newsstand: 

• Chatelaine had 117,883 single copy sales, of which 42,943 were single issue in-store sales, plus another 50,000 sponsored per issue (which means someone paid at least a penny a copy for these to be reported as paid.) And there were 24,940 reported as digital replicas, which could be someone opening up an issue on Next Issue. Chatelaine single issues went from 49,417 in June 2013 to 42,943 this year, a decline of 13%.
• Canadian Living had 85,033 in single issue sales and 256 digital replicas, without such devices as sponsored circulation. It went from 98,950 in June 2013 to 85,033 this year, a decline of 14%.

Maggies awards finalists announced

Nominees have been announced for the Manitoba Magazine Publishers Association awards, the Maggies. The winners will be announced on October 2, including the People's Choice awards. 

MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR

• Canada's History
• Conservator
• Covet
• Kayak, Canada’s History Magazine for Kids
• Prairie Fire

BEST OF THE BEST

Best cover -- Illustration

• Canada's History: Our Greatest Explorer
• Kayak: Epic Arctic!

Best cover -- Photography

• Canadian School Counsellor: Schools Out
• Cellar Door: Pinot Noir
• Geez: PerSisters

Best Mobile, Digital or Interactive Initiative

• Canada's History: Destinations
• The Cottager: Stunner on Stilts

Read more »

Quote, unquote: Treating journalism as a service

"Journalists often seem to believe that their job is to tell the reader what they think is important or relevant, rather than thinking of journalism as a service that they are providing, one in which the reader’s needs or desires are paramount, rather than the journalistic instincts of the author. Approaching news as a service or — even worse — as a product is seen as somehow beneath them."

-- Matthew Ingram at Gigaom, talking about the fundamental shift in power between publisher and reader

Guelph-Humber media studies students are multiple finalists in Pinnacle awards

Fourth year students in the Guelph-Humber media studies program have been named finalists in seven categories of the Pinnacle College Media Awards. It was for their project Emerge, a multiplatform, multidiscipline project, including a glossy magazine with editorial and branded content, a one-day media conference, related websites, a photography exhibition and a social media strategy.

The winners will be announced October 29 at the National College Media Convention in Philadelphia. The Pinnacle Awards are presented by the College Media Association and is open to organizations and individuals producing student work in print, broadcast and online.   

Tom Gierasimczuk leaving Canada Wide to be GM of TC Media's western properties

Tom Gierasimczuk, the vice-president, editorial and business development of Canada Wide Media, is leaving the company to become general manager of the Western Media Group for TC Media, effective Oct. 1. The role includes publisher duties for Vancouver and Western Living magazines. He'll be reporting to Jacqueline Loch, the vice-president and group publisher of TC Media's English language brands.

Gierasimczuk joined Canada Wide as editor-in-chief of BCBusiness starting in September 2012 and was promoted to vice-president in February 2013 and publisher of the magazine. Previously, he had been editor-in-chief of Marketing magazine and before that of up!, the inflight magazine published for Westjet by Red Point Media of Calgary. One of the most recent initiatives under Gierasimczuk's leadership at Canada Wide was the launch of a new lifestyle magazine called BCLiving, concentrating on the lower mainland. 

Mag world view: Chilled raises spirits; Editor? Who he?; U.S. postal muddle; Menswear's short shrift; Wonky journalists

• Chilled Magazine is raising spirits with 360 degree approach to publishing (Mr. Magazine)
• The Editor — A Vital Role We Barely Talk About Anymore (The Scholarly Kitchen)
• [U.S.] Postal Rates in 2015 Could Rise or Fall -- or Do Both (Dead Tree Edition)
• McGraw Hill Construction Sold to Private Equity Group for $320 Million (Folio:)
• Edward Snowden and Alan Rusbridger receive Right Livelihood award (Guardian)
• Why is so little space given to menswear? Too few men care (Guardian)
• As journalists become wonks, wonks become journalists (Nieman Journalism Lab)
• Direct-to-customer media was the promise of the internet. What happened? (Rex Hammock's RexBlog)

Major changes as TC Media flagship as Canadian Living editor and art director let go

More major changes at TC Media, with the abrupt departure of the senior editorial team at Canadian Living -- editor-in-chief Jennifer Reynolds and art director Stephanie White. And the retirement of Susan Antonacci as associate publisher of the company's English consumer brands, including such flagship titles as Canadian Living, Style at Home and ELLE Canada. Antonacci has been at TC Media for 38 years and is moving to Johnston's River, PEI to work on a variety of personal projects.

There have been no reasons given for the departure of the CL editorial team, and no public announcement, but it may not be entirely coincidental that the most recent newsstand sales numbers declined by 13.9%, something vitally important for a title which places such emphasis on the checkout. (During the same period competitor Chatelaine saw single copy sales increase 17.6%.)

NMAs partners with Indigo to promote winners in Chapters stores

The National Magazine Awards has partnered with Indigo Books & Music to display -- and sell -- Canada's top award-winning magazines. The nationwide newsstand promotion will feature a special NMA display in 91 Chapters superstores across the country from September 22 to October 18. The object of the initiative, says a release, is 

"to significantly increase single-copy sales of award-winning magazines by providing publishers with the opportunity to leverage their prestigious, nationally recognized award through a group marketing effort to increase newsstand sales, magazine awareness and future subscriptions in a cost-effective manner.

"While print publications are rising to meet the challenges and opportunities of the digital era, the newsstand remains a significant place of reader engagement. With this promotion, the NMAF's goal is to provide magazines with a unique opportunity to showcase their award-winning status and to maximize their impact on the newsstand."

Participating magazines include Magazine of the Year winner Cottage Life, as well as award winners Chatelaine, ELLE Canada, FASHION Magazine, fshnunlimited (f.u.), Little Brother, Maclean's, Prefix Photo, Sharp, Sportsnet, The Walrus, This Magazine, Toronto Life, and the United Church Observer.

The initiative was supported financially by the Ontario Media Developmemt Corporation (OMDC). 

The complete list of this year's winners at the 37th annual NMAs, presented in June, are at magazine-awards.com as well as a free and searchable public archive of past winners. 

Jane Armstrong named editor-in-chief of The Tyee

A former editor with Open File  and with the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, Jane Armstrong, has been named the new editor-in-chief of The Tyee. In  a story on J-Source, Armstrong describes The Tyee as "the best newsroom in British Columbia" and said she looked forward to further building the national audience for the news site. 

Shrugging off the storm at Word on the Street

We always have known that magazine (and book) people are made of tough stuff. There might have been some dismay to wake up to thunderous rain on Sunday morning in Toronto and as setup proceeded for Word on the Street  at Queen's Park. A story in the Toronto Star said the festival nevertheless attracted some 210,000 people, mostly in the afternoon after the sun came out. (If you had a good day as a publisher, click on Comments and let us know what the experience was like.) 

WORN Fashion Journal closing after 10 years and 20 issues

The final issue

WORN Fashion Journal, the non-mainstream twice-a-year fashion title (once in cold weather, once in hot), is closing after 10 years and 20 issues with the release of a November double issue (right). 

Launched in Toronto in a Kensington market vintage clothing store, WORN moved to Montreal for a couple of years and then was moved back to Toronto in the summer of 2008.  It has since been published out of the Toronto apartment of editor-publisher Serah-Marie McMahon. 

The "editor in pants", as she was listed on the masthead, McMahon started WORN because of a growing frustration with conventional fashion and decided that the best way to deal with it was to start her own magazine. She eventually surrounded herself with a group of more than a dozen volunteers dubbed the Wornettes. 

The magazine became well known for its strategy of holding "slow dance" launch parties to help finance issues and for writing not about runway fashion or fashion trends, but the cultural importance of clothes and personal stories of fashion from across Canada and around the world, somehow covering the intersection of pop culture and scholarship, without advertising support. 

Read more »

Surging Canadian mobile advertising revenue brings prediction of $2.5 billion in paid mobile by 2018

This year, advertisers in Canada will spent $715.7 million on mobile internet ads, including all mobile phone, tablets and other connected devices. It represents a 119.2% increase, according to calculations by eMarketer, but will be the last year of triple-digit growth (albeit from a small base) to which the industry has been accustomed. By 2018, advertisers will devote an estimated $2.58 billion to paid, mobile internet media. 

(US ad spending on the internet increased 17 per cent in 2013 to a record $42.8 billion, according to the Financial Times; for the first time, it has surpassed broadcast television. Mobile ad spending now represents 17 per cent of the US digital ad market. 

(Mobile ad spending hit $7.1bn in 2013, up 110 per cent from $3.4bn in 2012, according to the IAB. Mobile advertising now accounts for about 17 per cent of the US digital ad market.

According to the IAB Internet Advertising Report and PwC US, internet advertising revenues in the U.S. were up 19% in early 2014 at $11.6 billion. 

(Reports are that the U.S. advertising market inched up only 0.7% in the 2nd quarter of 2014, with TV, down 7.2%; magazines, off 5.7%; newspapers, shedding 10.4%; radio, off 3.6%; outdoor, slipping 1.6%; and spot TV, off 0.5%. Magazines suffered from lower results in pharmaceutical and consumer package good particularly.)

ELLE QUÉBEC marks 25th anniversary with dress line, screenings and events

ELLE QUÉBEC magazine is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this fall with a series of events in Montreal, including the 3rd annual  Bulles & tendances show, a series of film screenings selected by Quebec personalities, a free concert by ICI Musique at Club Soda and a special opening of Ogilvy department store to show off the fashions of the past 25 years. 

“We wanted to celebrate our 25^th anniversary by focusing on the five pillars of ELLE QUÉBEC: fashion, beauty, culture, lifestyle and society,” says Sandra Abi-Rashed, Brand Director at TC Media. “From the very first, we have consciously sought to reshape the boundaries of fashion in order to inspire, inform and entertain our readers. So it was natural for us to share this unique moment in the history of ELLE QUÉBEC with our readers and thank them for their loyalty by inviting them to this series of events.”

The magazine also is marking its anniversary with the unveiling of an exclusive collection of dresses for the Christmas holidays, done in collaboration with Montreal-based retailer RW&CO. Denis Desro, the fashion editor of ELLE QUÉBEC is the guest designer for the collection. 

The cover of the magazine's 25th anniversary October issue is  shot by Bryan Adams, featuring five of ELLE QUÉBEC’s models and icons representing the brand’s different eras. 

Word on the Street festival gives readers opportunity to meet, greet and buy Canadian magazines

Magazines will be meeting their readers at Word on the Street book and magazine fair events this weekend across Canada. All events are free.

Toronto (Sunday, Sept. 21 11am - 6 pm, Queen's Park Circle)
(mostly in the Magazine Mews)

• Alternatives Journal
• Brainspace magazine
• Brick: A literary journal
• Broken Pencil Magazine
• C Magazine
• Canadian Art magazine
• Canadian Dimension
• Canadian Monarchist News
• Carousel
• Cineaction
• Cinema Scope magazine
• Dandyhorse 
• Descant Magaizne
• EcoParent magazine
• Feathertale
• Geist Magazine
• Green Teacher
• Hazlitt Magazine
• Humanist Perpectives
• Kid Scoop News
• Little Brother Magazine
• Ontario Nature
• Owlkids
• People's Voice
• Point of View Magazine
• Pure Green Magazine
• Shameless Magazine
• Sky News Magazine
• Spacing magazine
• Taddle Creek
• The Humber Literary Review
• The Message
• The New Quarterly
• The Walrus Magazine
• This Magazine
• Toronto Life Magazine
• Vallum: Contemporary Poetry
• Voice K Magazine
• Worn Fashion Journal
• Zoomer Magazine

Kitchener (Saturday, September 20 11am - 5pm, Downtown Kitchener City Hall

Halifax (Sunday, September 21, 11am - 5pm, Halifax Waterfront)

Saskatoon (Sunday, September 21, 11am - 5 pm,, Civic Square)

Lethbridge (Sunday, September 21, 11am - 5 pm, Main Library, 5th Ave S. & 8 St. S.

Mag world view: Azerbaijani NatGeo; Robin Williams' ghost?; Funnyzines; fashion with a conscience; Indiegogo forever

• Garant Media Holding launches National Geographic in Azerbaijan (FIPP)
• Forbes to digitise all content from 1917-2000 (Forbes)
• Axel Springer and Politico form joint venture to launch European edition (FIPP)
• Is This the Ghost of Robin Williams -- Or Just a Printing Error? (Dead Tree Edition)
• "Fashion with a Conscience" sets Marie Claire Apart (Mr. Magazine)
• Indiegogo Is About To Launch “Forever Funding” Campaigns Without End Dates (Tech Crunch)
• Thats funny: why arent there more comedy magazines? (Guardian)
• In Bid to Expand Membership, FMA Changes Name to Media and Content Marketing Association (Folio:)
• Modern Farmer Names Cara Parks Executive Editor (New York Observer)
• Like it or not, native advertising is squarely inside the big news tent (Nieman Journalism Lab)

Quote, unquote: Are digital editions already dead?

"Bluntly, mobile “hasn’t worked”for the simple reason publishers haven’t actually tried it yet. They haven’t created true mobile products. Instead, they’ve taken their print editions and squeezed them into apps, mostly as replica PDFs that are barely even readable on a phone."

 -- Michael Kowalski, founder and CEO of Contentment, writing in What's New in Publishing.

Mainstream mags dominate with finalists in Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs)

The finalists have been announced for the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs), which are to be presented November 20. A complete list of finalists.  

Among the magazine finalists in the red category, which covers consumer magazines, are:

• Best Media Website
• BCLiving (Canada Wide Media Limited)
• Canadian Living (TC Media)
• MoneySense (Rogers Media)
• Toronto Life (St. Joseph Media)
• Best Website Design
• Taddle Creek (Vitalis Publishing)
• TheWalrus.ca (The Walrus Foundation)
• Best News Coverage 
• Fashionmagazine.com (St. Joseph Media) (2)
• Torontoist (St. Joseph Media)
• Best Blog or Column
• Toronto Life (St. Joseph Media) (2)
• Torontoist (St. Joseph Media)
• Best Article or Series
• MoneySense (Rogers Media)
• Best Infographic
• Canadian Family (St. Joseph Media)
• Styleathome.com (TC Media)
• Best Interactive Story 
• Canadian Living (TC Media)
• Elle Quebec (Transcontinental Meida G.P.)
• The UC Observer
• Toronto Life (St. Joseph Media)
• Best Use of Social Media
• Canadiangardening.com (TC Media)
• Ontario Out of Doors 
• Styleathome.com
• TheWalrus.ca
• Best Email Newsletter Design and Engagement
• Canada's History: Remembering D-Day
• Canadian Family (St. Joseph Media)
• Canadian Living (TC Media)
• Canadiangardening.com (TC Media)
• Weddingbells (St. Joseph)
• Best Digital Publication for Desktop and Tablet
• Best Health (Reader's Digest Canada)
• Canadian Living (TC Media)
• The Hockey News (TC Media)
• Westworld Alberta (Canada Wide)
• Best Mobile Solution
• Fashion Magazine (St. Joseph Media)
• Toronto Life (St. Joseph Media)

Among the magazine-related finalists in the blue category -- largely niche business-to-business and association publications -- are:

• Best Media Web Site
• Grainnews.ca (Farm Business Communications)
• Salon Magazine (Salon Communications Inc.)
• The Ryersonian (Ryerson School of Journalism)
• University Affairs (AUCC)

Read more »

Brian Kaufman of subTerrain to receive WMA lifetime achievement award

Brian Kaufman, the longtime founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of the literary magazine subTerrain, has been selected to receive the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award of the Western Magazine Awards. The presentation will be made September 26 at the awards gala in Vancouver. Each year, the WMAs select one individual who has had exemplary, sustained accomplishment in the magazine publishing industry.

Kauffman founded the three-time-a-year journal -- which used the tagline “Strong words for a Polite Nation” -- in 1988 to showcase visual art, creative non-fiction, poetry, social commentary, and photography. In a 2008 blog post he said "subTerrain started out as a dream, an idea of literary rebellion, a shadow-self calling out to be born.”

“Kaufman is a richly deserving recipient,” said Jane Zatylny, President of the WMAF. “We are very pleased to highlight his many contributions to our industry with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”

“Brian has been responsible for launching the careers of a new breed of writers and artists onto the literary scene in Vancouver and indeed the rest of the country,” wrote Margaret Reynolds, Executive Director of the Association of Book Publishers of BC.

Also a book publisher, a founding member of the predecessor to MagsBC and a director of the Literary Press Group, in 2009 he also received the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Awards for his “significant contribution to Vancouver's arts and cultural community, for shaping Vancouver as a creative city and for enriching the lives of Vancouver's citizens.”

Fishing fame

Patrick Walsh, the editor-in-chief of Outdoor Canada magazine is in the calendar of the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame (Mr. September). Here holding his 39-inch catch. Which is more than the rest of us can say. 

Quote, unquote: A founder of Port on the surprise of getting to issue 15

"The number of independent magazines is growing, be it to support other business interests, cultural expression, for pleasure (or pain however you decide to look at it). They are still in a strong position to challenge the status quo, whichever sector that happens to be in. 

"I don't think any of us expected Port to reach issue 15. I was nervous when we bought barcodes for eight issues when we were working on our first issue. I calculated how old I would be, and how much work that meant; I think we went for a beer to calm us down."

-- Co-founder and creative director Kuchar Swara, talking in an interview in Creative Review about Port magazine, started in 2011, reaching its 15th issue; it intended to provide a more in-depth range of content -- photographic essays, long-form articles and features spanning film, design, architecture, business, food and literature -- than mainstream men's magazines.

CJF hosting October 2 panel about native advertising

L to R, Borra, Bradbury, White and Shapiro

I make no secret of my skepticism about so-called "native advertising", which to me is simply advertorials of old, glossed with new language. But I'd be interested in a panel being offered by The Canadian Journalism Foundation called "Native Advertising: Journalism's Saviour or Sellout?" 

It's to be held in Toronto on Thursday, October 2 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the TMX Broadcast Centre - Gallery, The Exchange Tower, 130 King St. W., Toronto.

($15 for students, $25 for early bird, $30 general admission.)

Panelists will be Jill Borra, executive editor at The Globe and Mail; Cathrin Bradbury, executive director of content development at Star Media Group (recently named editor-in-chief of Metro); and Scott White, vice-president of content strategy and business development at Postmedia Network, for this discussion. Ivor Shapiro, chair of the School of Journalism and associate professor specializing in journalism ethics at Ryerson University, moderates. The setup for the session says

Native advertising. Branded content. Custom content. Whatever it’s called, these ‘advertorials’ are controversial, yet news organizations see them as the latest and best business strategy. Can Journalism’s tattered integrity be rescued when the lines between editorial and advertising content are blurred? Can sponsored content be palatable to readers, and to journalists? And while these ads are delivering new dollars to legacy news outlets, are they also eroding trust and driving readers away?

Good questions, all.  

Mag world view: Guardian offers "backstage pass"; IDG does in Macworld; editors move!; misremembering 9/11

• £60 a month for 'backstage pass' as Guardian unveils membership scheme (Press Gazette)
• USPS Employment Levels Have Stabilized (Dead Tree Edition)
• IDG Cuts Staff In Major Reorganization; Macworld ends in print (Folio:)
• Venezuela's oldest newspaper forced to stop printing (Guardian)
• WSJ Media Editor Martin Peers Moves to The Information (New York Observer)
• Editor Alessandra Bastagli Leaves Al Jazeera America for Nation Books (NYO)
• Who will screw up 9/11 remembrances today? (Romenesko)

Les Affaires launches iPad edition

Les Affaires, a TC Media business publication, is launching an iPad edition. Current subscribers to the digital version of Les Affaires can get free access and readers who want to subscribe download the free app and can get the magazine content for $6.99 for 12 weeks from the Apple App Store.

“Now more than ever, our readers want to access Les Affaires when it’s convenient for them on the platform they choose,” said Géraldine Martin, Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Les Affaires Group. “Les Affaires continues to evolve to meet the needs of its readers. In addition, this past February we adopted responsive web design, which improved the reading experience of lesaffaires.com on every device.”

Les Affaires produces Les Affaires newspaper and its website, as well as Événements Les Affaires and the personal finance magazine Les Affaires Plus. The power of having a broad media network is evident in that the new app and service is being promoted across that network in a multi platform advertising campaign developed in house, using conventional and digital channels, social media and the AMT transportation network.

*********Promotional Message**********

Magazines Canada member titles can post job ads on the Canadian Magazines job board for 20% off the regular price (which is already a real bargain -- about $1 a day). Simply go to  http://canadianmags.jobthread.com/post-direct and put in the coupon code MAGSCAN. *************************************************************

House & Home provides a soothing retreat for TIFF sponsors

As the deal-making and autograph signing and selfies out front take their toll on the stars, the Toronto International Film Festival sponsors are getting red-carpet treatment of their own from House & Home magazine and its French language counterpart Maison & Demeure. It is the first time for a collaboration between H&H and TIFF. The TIFF Festival Red Carpet Suite is inside the lower level of Roy Thomson Hall. 

It's a place for festival sponsors and their special guests to kick back before gala screenings; the magazine expects that some 800 take advantage of it during festival week in Toronto. Presenting sponsor of the suite is Quintessentially Lifestyle, an international award-winning luxury lifestyle management and concierge service.

The design was inspired by H&H's 2014 Trends issue "Look of the Year". According to a company release, H&H designer Jenna Cadieux put a lounge-style spin on the look by using saturated colours, rich textures and informal furniture arrangements.

"We wanted the suite to feel comfortable, intimate, and yet appropriately refined for the festival," said H&H editor-in-chief Suzanne Dimma [in a release]. "We selected pieces that are modern icons of design...These items articulate the way we're thinking about glamour today. They feel luxe because they have an artisanal, soulful quality to them -- they're definitely not about glitz or sparkle."

The Toronto International Film Festival Red Carpet Suite presented by Quintessentially Lifestyle and designed by House & Home magazine. Photography by House & Home.

Veteran fundraiser named CEO of Canada's History Society, publishers of Canada's History and Kayak

Janet Walker

Canada's History Society, the publishers of Canada's History magazine and Kayak, the history magazine for kids, has appointed Janet Walker as its CEO. A longtime resident of Winnipeg, she has run a successful consulting practice and was executive consultant to the University of Winnipeg Foundation. She replaces longtime editor and publisher Deborah Morrison. 

"The board of directors at Canada's History Society is confident that under Ms. Walker's leadership, the organization will grow in its ability to promote the discovery and understanding of our nation's history," said board of directors chair Richard Pound in a release. "Her strengths in the areas of strategy and fundraising will deliver clear goals and emphasize fund development for the long term."

Canada's History has a paid circulation of 32,000 and according to the Print Measurement Bureau has one of Canadian magazines' largest readership at 965,000 readers (25 readers per copy).The society also publishes CanadasHistory.ca attracting more than 290,000 unique visitors per year; administers the Governor General's History Awards; coordinates student-based initiatives known as Heritage Fairs and Young Citizens, and recently launched a series of branded travel tours to European battlefields to commemorate significant anniversaries of the First and Second World Wars.

Spacing magazine launches special French language version of Cities for People issue

We have relatively few examples to offer of French language versions of predominantly English-language Canadian magazines; perhaps Canada's History, enRoute, University Affairs and a few others, some of which publish bilingually, others of which publish standalone French numbers. 

So it is interesting to note that Wednesday 10th, there is to be launch party of a French language version of Spacing magazine's  summer "Cities for People" issue ("Des Villes Pour Tous"). It's being held at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1920, rue Baile, Montreal, from 6 - 10 p.m.

The Cities For People issue focuses on four themes: livable civic spaces, social-purpose arts, the shared economy, and empowering citizens to reappropriate their cities [says the release]. We are also publishing an online series on Spacing.ca.

The project is done in partnership with Cities for People, a pilot initiative funded by the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation. 

On Spec magazine struggles with loss of Canada Council funding

Spring 2014

On Spec, the sci-fi and fantasy quarterly, has been receiving funding from the Canada Council for most of its 25 years of existence. Now, the magazine is facing tough times as funding for 2015 has been withdrawn. In the past it has received between $17,000 and $20,000 annually.

According to a story in the Edmonton Journal the reasons given by the arm's length jury was low quality of writing, poor production, design and layout and frequent typos -- all things that managing editor Diane Walton disputes. She says that On Spec has very few errors and the volunteer editorial staff selects only the highest quality content.

“We can’t understand what their criteria is. We just keep getting good stories as far as we’re concerned, but it’s not as far as they’re concerned. It’s so subjective.”

Canada Council spokesperson Tara Lapointe, while not commenting on the specific application, said that On Spec had received notices twice before that "funding could be reduced or withdrawn" -- intended to encourage improvements.

Walton said the magazine is cutting costs that it hopes won't sacrifice quality; the worst case scenario is that it would turn itself into a digital magazine, though "print is our tradition". The withdrawal of funding has helped to rally the troops.

“We’re angry and we’re motivated now. It’s a kick in the teeth but it’s like, Hey! We can do this! We have to push forward. We’re getting a lot of moral support from the community.”

Mag world view: Bye IPC; GQUK's fake awards; Vice's value; book-a-zines; journal arms race

• IPC name to disappear as Time Warner rebrands magazine publisher (Guardian)
• UBM Consolidates North and South American Groups into One Division (Folio:)
• GQs meaningless mens awards give Tories the chance to hang out with the A-list (Guardian)
• Vice Media valued at $2.5bn after second investment (Media Week)
• Monocle Sells Minority Stake to Nikkei Inc. (Folio:)
• Observer to become most expensive UK Sunday newspaper with price rise to £2.90 (Press Gazette)
• The problem with “takes” is the business model of mass media (Buzz Machine)
• Book-a-Zines: Saving Print or Adding to the Problem? (Mr. Magazine)
• The Arms Race in Journals Publishing Heats Up (The Scholarly Kitchen)
• Ken Doctor: Inside the Toronto Star’s $10 million niche print business (Nieman Journalism Lab)

SABEW Canada officially launches September 30

SABEW Canada, the Canadian offshoot of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers is holding its first official event at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto on Tuesday September 30 at 6 p.m. 

SABEW has been around for 50 years and has more than 3,000 members. While the Canadian members have been hosting an annual talk each year since 2010, this marks the official Canadian launch. The Canadian division receives financial and administrative support from SABEW, but it's run by a committee of Canadian business journalists.  

Highlights of the September 30 event are a ribbon-cutting talk by John McCorry, Bloomberg's executive editor for the Americas (and a SABEW member) and the launch of the Best in Business Contest, which highlights overall excellence in newspaper and magazine business journalism in Canada. The Rotman event is free, requiring only an RSVP by September 22. 

Members  (a one-year membership is $56) get access to a number of Canadian specific events, training programs and networking opportunities throughout the year as well as everything the American operation offers, including two main conferences (this year in New York and Chicago).

Mags we like: Celtic Life International built on cultural pride

Celtic Life International is a Halifax-based magazine and website that has in recent years redefined itself from a tartan 'n tatties book into something more sophisticated. Witness the fall 2014 issue that features the style of the Scottish-American singer Lana Del Rey. There remain lots of fiddling, folklore, piping and flinging. But clearly a certain amount of sex appeal doesn't hurt, such as a recent cover story featuring actor George Clooney.  

The magazine started out as a publication called The Clansman, which was created by Angus McQuarrie as a program and promotion for the first international gathering of the clans to take place outside of Scotland in 1987.It was the foundation on which Celtic Life and its digital cousins was built. McQuarrie is still publisher. 

“The one thing that stands out amongst the people we reach and those who follow us, is their pride in their heritage and culture,” Angus told Scotland Now.

 The print distribution of the magazine is 201,000 copies, 6 times a year and the website and social media claim to reach over 1 million people a month. Research shows that 43% of its readers are in the U.S. and 36% in Canada with most of the remainder in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the U.K., Europe, Australia and New Zealand. A one-year print sub in Canada costs $24.95; a 1-year digital sub is $14.95.

BC Business and Vancouver are finalists in Webster awards

Two Vancouver-based magazines are finalists for the Jack Webster Business, Industry and Economics Award:

• Matt O'Grady, the editor of BCBusiness,  for "High Hopes" (see right) about the commercialization of marijuana
• Frances Bula, of Vancouver magazine, for "The Modern Drive-Through", about the boom in food trucks

The Webster Awards, which cover all media, honour British Columbia's best journalists and the winners will be announced at a dinner on Wednesday, October 29 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver hotel.

Full list of finalists