St. Joseph Media takes over publication of CAA-affiliated mags in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba

The media group (SJM) of St. Joseph Communications is taking over the contract publication of three western magazines on behalf of divisions of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).  The move is the result of a winning response to a request for proposal. Combined, the three magazines have a total circulation of 888,000. Publication and national ad sales will be centralized in Toronto. 

Starting in February, SJM will publish three quarterlies:

• AMA Insider (circ. 620,000)
• CAA Saskatchewan Magazine (circ. 125,000) and
• CAA Manitoba Magazine (circ. 143,000)

With the change, the brands Westworld Alberta (on behalf of the Alberta Motor Association), Westworld Saskatchewan (CAA Saskatchewan) and Going Places (CAA Manitoba) will be discontinued.

Westworld BC will apparently continue to be published by BC-based Canada Wide Media which had previously produced the magazines now taken over by SJM. CAA Magazine, also a quarterly, which serves Ontario and the Maritimes, will continue to be published by Totem Brand Stories. It has a total circulation of 1.65 million, of which 90% is in Ontario.

The new management of the western magazines will result in a redesign, more news and information about club services such as travel and roadside assistance and new websites. The first website, which will also have mobile versions, will be for the AMA amainsider.com . It will be rolled out in February; similar sites are to be created for Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“We at St. Joseph are thrilled to be working with the CAA clubs to make their magazines even more engaging and valuable to association members,” said Douglas Kelly, SJM’s senior vice president, Strategic Content Labs. 

Editor-in-chief of all three publications will be Kellie Davenport, who previously led the Air Miles magazine at Rogers Publishing. She will be working with magazine veteran Maryam Sanati at SJM.