Metropolitan Home being revived on a contingent basis by Hearst

Mavens of shelter magazines may be hugging themselves now that it has been announced that Metropolitan Home is being revived -- at least for now. Originally published by Hachette, it was closed in 2009 to much lamentation. It is now to be back on the newsstands this month under the imprimatur of Hearst magazines, which acquired it in 2011 along with other Hachette U.S. titles. According to an article in AdWeek:

The magazine’s relaunch follows the test-issue template set by other Hearst titles like HGTV and Dr. Oz. The Spring/Summer issue of Metropolitan Home will be released on April 11—70,000 copies will be sold on newsstands with another 45,000 going to subscribers of other Hearst magazines such as Elle Décor, Town & Country and Esquire—and, depending on reader and advertiser interest, more issues could follow.

Kitchener pulls out of national book and magazine fair Word on the Street

The Kitchener-based annual one-day Word on the Street in Kitchener was a relatively modest contributor to the much larger national festival. However, according to a story in the Waterloo Region Record, it now it has been decided to pull out of the national event. The City of Kitchener, which financed it, decided its $20,000 budget would be better spent holding a series of literary-themed events throughout the year in collaboration with the Kitchener Public Library.

The city announced Wednesday it is pulling out of the festival, which it has hosted for 15 years. Instead, it plans to hold ImagineIt, a series of events in partnership with Kitchener Public Library that "will focus on fun and interesting ways to connect the community through engaging events that celebrate reading, writing and literacy," according to the ImagineIt website.

According to the news report, while WOTS was thriving in other cities (Toronto drew 225,000 people in 2014), attendance at the Kitchener festival dwindled over the years, from as many as 7,000 at its peak for as few as 2,000 after it moved from its original location in Victoria Park to the City Hall rotunda and the Kitchener Market.

This is not the first defection from the national book and magazine festival which, since its founding in 1990 as a very successful Toronto event, expanded year by year into such cities at Halifax, Lethbridge and Saskatoon and, until now, Kitchener. The Vancouver Book and Magazine Fair Society, after 12 years as part of WOTS dissociated itself in 2013 from the national organization and rebranded as a 5-day Word Vancouver.

Last year the Toronto Word on the Street was moved from its longtime location in Queen's Park in Toronto to Harbourfront (the original fair had started as a true street fair, occupying several closed blocks of Queen Street.)

EIC of cycling magazine Momentum relinquishes day-to-day role to become GM of new Vancouver Bike Share program

Mia Kohout

The co-owner and editor-in-chief of the cycling magazine Momentum, Mia Kohout, is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of the magazine in order to become the general manager of the new Vancouver Bike Share program, which will launch this summer. A story on the Bicycle Retailer website quotes Kohout:

"I have been witnessing Vancouver become a cycling mecca over the past decade with the expansion of safe cycling infrastructure, and yet Vancouver has lagged behind many other cities that have already implemented a bike share system," Kohout said. "And now it's finally time to launch a bike share system here and elevate Vancouver to the next level of cycling greatness."

The bike share program is operated by CycleHop, which operates similar programs across North America, including in Ottawa.

"CycleHop has signed a five-year contract with the city of Vancouver to deploy 1,500 Smart Bike share bikes this coming summer. The Vancouver bike share system will be the largest Smart Bike system in North America," the story says. "The bike share technology will be provided by a French company called Smoove."

[Momentum's media kit reports that it has a twice-a-year print magazine (spring and autumn) audience of 30,000 copies, including 5,000 paid subscribers, with the remainder distributed as public place, event and promotional copies. The magazine's e-newsletter has 16,500 subscribers, of which 10,000 are in the U.S. Its website has 70,000 average unique monthly visitors, of which 57% are in the USA, 14% in Canada and 29% international. In aggregate, the magazine says that its core readers are 70% in the US, 25% in Canada and 5% international.]

MagNet returns to Toronto June 7

After a one-year hiatus (to make room last fall for the rare opportunity to host FIPP's world congress) the MagNet industry conference returns to Toronto June 7 - 9. The site and registration is open now (early bird rates close May 3.) The conference is co-hosted by Magazines Canada, CMC and the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors (CSME).

The event kicks off June 7 with the MagNet Marquee featuring Jay Lauf, the senior vice-president, co-president and publisher of Atlantic Media and Quartz, Among other national and international speakers are:

• Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Gary Stephen Ross, president Gary Ross Consulting
• Ryan Dohm, CEO Brain Swell Media
• Kat Tancock, partner Tavanberg
• Curtis Gillespie, editor Eighteen Bridges
• Robert Rose, chief strategy officer, Content Marketing Institute
• Ken Hunt, publisher, Toronto Life
• Jess Ross, multiplatform content director, TVA
• Lianne George, editor in chief, Chatelaine

Finalists named for Atlantic Journalism Awards

The finalists for the Atlantic Journalism Awards have been announced. The winners in the various categories The awards will be presented during the gala dinner and awards event at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel on Saturday, May 7, 2016.

Here are the finalists in the magazine-related categories (click this link to read about each finalist):

Atlantic Magazine Article
Mary-Frances Lynch - Saltscapes Magazine - Bedford, NS - Healing Roots.
Mike Allen - Atlantic Salmon Journal - Chamcook, NB - River One.
Stephanie Porter - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - Ancient Land, Modern Life.

Atlantic Magazine: Best Cover
Atlantic Salmon Journal - Chamcook, NB - Winter 2015: Art of Conservation.
East Coast Living - Halifax, NS - Fall 2015: Old Town, New House.
East Coast Living - Halifax, NS - Winter 2015: Bright New View.
Halifax Magazine - Halifax, NS - June 2015: Pet Projects.

Atlantic Magazine: Best Profile Article
Sara Kimber - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - Innovator of the Year.
Stephen Kimber - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - The Trials and Tribulations of Vrege Armoyan.

The categories in the AJAs include radio, television, photojournalism, newspaper page presentation and so on. In the following categories, we have boldfaced magazines in the running. 

Business Reporting: Any Medium
Adam Walsh/Paul Pickett/Philippe Grenier - CBC NL - St. John’s, NL - China: The Seal Hunt’s Last Hope?
Rebecca Martel - Radio-Canada Acadie - Halifax, NS - L'énergie marémotrice en Nouvelle-Écosse.
Stephen Kimber - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - Boiling Point.

Enterprise Reporting: Print
Adam Huras/Karissa Donkin - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - Daycare Inspections.
Ashley Fitzpatrick - The Telegram - St. John's, NL - Poison in the Water.
David Boehm - Rural Delivery - Liverpool, NS - Lobster on a Roll.

Commentary: Any medium 

Brent Mazerolle - Times&Transcript - Moncton, NB - Who was the Real Victim of June 4?
Pascal Raiche-Nogue - Acadie Nouvelle - Caraquet, NB - Un Doigt d'Honneur.
Trevor Adams - Halifax Magazine- Halifax, NS - How We Remember.

Arts & Entertainment Reporting: Any Medium
Cara Smith - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - The Power of a Portrait.
Philip Lee - Saltscapes Magazine - Bedford, NS - Lennie's Dream.

Victoria Dekker - Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, NB - Paying Tribute to a Historic Program.

Quote, unquote: Reader trust: The most valuable commodity

"For a regional magazine in today’s industry, there is perhaps no commodity more valuable than the trust of its readership, fostered through clearly-defined values, an authoritative voice in the community, and the provision of an (experience its audience won’t find anywhere else."

-- from an article in Folio: about the decision by Alive magazine of St. Louis to go paid and invest in a complete makeover of its print vehicle, reducing frequently, upping quality and narrowing the focus.

Webinar explores how Canadian magazine media brands are adapting to digital landscape

Magazines Canada is offering another of their ad webinar series on March 31 at 2 p.m.

The focus of  "Magazine Media Brands in the digital age" is how Canadian magazine media brands are adapting to the ever-evolving digital landscape. Representatives from Cottage Life, Today's Trucking and Chatelaine will present case studies across both print and digital platforms., discussing strategies about working with agencies and advertisers, as well as lessons learned. The free webinar (capacity is limited) is designed for those in sales, editorial, media planning and publishing.

Panelists are:

• Haley Overland, Senior Editor, Social Media,Chatelaine 
• Dan Robinson, Director, Digital Marketing, Newcom (Today's Trucking)
• Sue Haas, Director, Digital Media Operations, Cottage Life
• Moderator: Sharon McAuley

Corporate Knights celebrates Canada's greenest buildings

Illustration by Studio Tipi

Corporate Knights magazine has published its 2016 review of the best green buildings in Canada, singling out 12. A panel of building experts selected them based on such higher construction standards as data on energy efficiency, human wellness and better operating costs. The complete ranking list is included in the spring issue of Corporate Knights, the magazine for clean capitalism. 

"The 12 buildings selected this year show that smart, clean, efficient design and construction can be done today," said Toby Heaps, CEO of Corporate Knights. "With the right incentives, reporting and permitting standards, the stock of green buildings could grow rapidly and, simultaneously, take a big bite out of energy costs and Canada's annual carbon emissions."

St. Mary's Hospital on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast was designed to be North America's first carbon-neutral hospital. VanDusen Botanical Garden and Visitor Centre aims to achieve net zero standards for water and energy use. The Jim Pattison Center of Excellence is powered with photovoltaic solar panels. TELUS Garden has fully integrated smart building program controls, while MEC Head Office took a Lego-like construction approach with an eye to ease of disassembly at the end of building life. All were built to the LEED Platinum or LEED Gold standard.

British Columbia is home to six of the greenest buildings in this year's review, four buildings are in Ontario with Quebec and Nova Scotia housing one each in the top 12. Featuring prominently in their design and construction were living walls and garden spaces, solar and geothermal systems, use of reclaimed materials, and rainwater capture and recycling for grey water and irrigation.

Canadian Cover Awards winners announced

Nov 2014

The winning entries in the Canadian Cover Awards were announced on Tuesday evening in Toronto. Co-sponsored by Magazines Canada and the CMC Circulation Management Association of Canada. The awards recognize covers in the sale of single copies on newsstands, factoring in both design and circulation success and sales of the issue. Finalists were drawn from some 88 entries.

• Toronto Life won both silver and bronze in the general interest, arts, lifestyle and regional category.
• Canadian Business magazine won the gold award in the news, business and celebrity category for its 100 Wealthiest People issue (Winter 2014) which moved 5,300 copies, a 37.1% sell-through.
• Ignition magazine won both gold and silver in the Men’s service category. The gold

  

  Dec 2014

  winner was Winter 2014, marking the 50^th anniversary of the Mustang, which sold 3,900 copies (33.7%).
• In the SIP and new magazine category, Legion magazine’s November 2014 issue won gold for its premium-priced issue The Battles which sold more single copies (8,800, a sell-through of 42%) than the magazine has seen in its 90 years of publication.
• Canada’s History won gold and bronze among small magazines. Its gold winner, December 2014/January 2015, was its all-time bestseller, with 6,200 copies sold (42.2% of its draw).
• Mike Martin of distributor CMMI was named 2016 Marketer of the Year.

The winners and finalists in all categories:

General interest, arts, lifestyle and regional

Canadian Geographic, December 201 4 (Gold)

Toronto Life, July 2015 (Silver)

Toronto Life, January 2015 (Bronze)

BC Magazine, Fall 2015 (HM)

Canadian Geographic, Jan/Feb 2015 (HM)

Home & Décor

Canadian House & Home, January 2015 (Gold)

Chez soi, July 2015 (Silver)

Style at Home, July 2015 (Bronze)

Les idées de ma maison, April 2015 (HM)

Style at Home, May 2015 (HM)

Men’s Service

Ignition, Winter 2014 (Gold)

Ignition, Spring 2015 (Silver)

Sharp, April 2015 (Bronze)

Ignition, Buyer’s Guide 2015 (HM)

News, Business & Celebrity

Canadian Business, winter 2014 (Gold)

7 Jours, September 2015 (Silver)

L’actualité, February 2015 (Bronze)

Maclean’s, November 17, 2014 (HM)

Zoomer, June 2015, (HM)

SIPs & New Magazines

Legion, November 2014 (Gold)

Tellement bon, December 2014 (Silver)

Canadian Living Specials – Summer BBQ Book (Bronze)

PAS Mag, Japan Special Edition (HM)

Style at Home, Cottage Style Special (HM)

Small Magazines

Canada’s History, December 2014/January 2015 (Gold)

Rotman Management, Spring 2015 (Silver)

Canada’s History, August/September 2015 (Bronze)

Marriage Québec, Fall/Winter 2014 (HM)

Vallum: Contemporary Poetry, March 2015 (HM)

Sports & Leisure

Fly Fusion, Winter 2015 (Gold)

Canadian Aviator, November/December 2014 (Silver)

The Hockey News, March 2015 (Bronze)

Canadian Traveller, Winter 2014 (HM)

Pacific Yachting, July 2015 (HM)

Women’s Service

Elle Canada, September 2015 (Gold)

Coup de Pouce, December 2014 (Silver)

Canadian Living, November 2014 (Bronze)

Elle Québec, July 2015 (HM)

S/ Style & Fashion, Winter 2014 (HM)

Magazines Canada Cover awards press release

Mag world view: Medium spun off; sleazy money; FOI: Use it or lose it; Can Texture change readers' ways?

• Medium Spins Off Online Magazine (Wall Street Journal)
• MagNet Report Shows Strength in Mid-Tier Magazine Titles (Publishing Executive)
• How Easy, Sleazy Money Is Ruining Publishers' Reputations (Dead Tree Edition)
• The Fate of the Newsstand Isn’t the Same as the Fate of Print (Folio:)
• German journalist leaves Turkey after he is refused right to work (Associated Press)
• I-5 Publishing Rebrands as Lumina Media (Folio:)
• Debate on future of FoI told 'use it or lose it' and get information by being 'a stubborn pain in the ass' (Press Gazette)
• Audience First And The Four Cs* (Mr. Magazine)
• FT reports that youth media brand Vice has taken on tobacco firm Philip Morris as a client (Press Gazette)
• Texture App: Will It Succeed In Changing The Way People Read Magazines? (Mr. Magazine)

TC Media launching Style supplement

TC Media is launching a new magazine supplement called Style that will appear five times a year as an insert in Les Affaires newspaper. Each issue will have a different theme; the first focuses on fashion, beauty care and the home.The supplement is created by the content services department of the business solutions group.

“I am delighted to be part of the launch of the new Style supplement for Les Affaires because it allows us to showcase the latest trends and developments to business people and influencers who are very knowledgeable in what they buy, but also very busy,” says Lise Paul-Hus, the Style supplement’s designated publisher. “Our target audience is mainly men aged 34-54, but also business women who play an active role in the couple’s purchase decisions. We’ll be offering them a distinctive selection within a range of categories that will interest them, namely technology, travel, wines and spirits, fashion and home decor.”

Spring-summer magazine professional development courses at Ryerson's Chang School

Spring-loaded professional development

The Magazine and Web Publishing Program at the Chang School at Ryerson University in Toronto offers a number of its courses in the spring-summer term. 

39-hour courses

• Magazine Copy Editing (CDJN119)

Monday & Wednesday, May 2 – June 15, 6:30 P.M. – 9:30 P.M. 

This is an introduction to the skills and knowledge that results in magazines’ reputation for precision, consistency and accuracy. The copy editor for a print or online magazine attends to the details, with all the “polishing” skills: checking grammar, punctuation, and spelling, consistency of style, logic and usage. Copy editors see the editorial production process through to the press or online publication. Instructor: Bernadette Kuncevicius

• Magazine Production (CDJN205)

Tuesday, May 3 – July 26, 6:30 P.M. – 9:30 P.M. 

Though it doesn’t scrimp on the fundamentals of print production, this course places major emphasis on multi-purposing of text and pictures for the Web, as well as creating digitally formatted documents for display across multiple platforms, including e-readers, tablets and mobile devices. Learn how magazine manufacturing is managed, how they are printed and bound, scheduled and budgeted and learn about ad portals, pre-media, printing process and quality control. Instructor: Kim Latreille

19.5-hour courses

• Magazine Packaging (CDJN121) DISTANCE ED. – INTERNET

May 2 – 11 June

The focus is on packaging print and digital service journalism in ways that will delight reader, keep them coming back and making it easy for them to access the information they want and need in print or online. Students are encouraged to think of magazines as both digital and   products, preferably both.  [Note, this course is offered as a classroom lecture in the fall term.] Instructor: Jessica Ross

• Success as a Freelancer (CDJN123)

May 5 – 16 June, 6:30 – 9:30

This is a primer on how to run a freelance business as a writer or editor for either print or online or both. It is aimed at students who are looking to get ahead in freelance work in the magazine and web industry (and beyond) and looking to gain hands-on tools and feedback to achieve their goals. Instructor: Diane Peters

• Creating Website Editorial (CDJN206)

Tuesday, May 6 – June 17, 6:30 P.M. – 9:30 P.M.

For magazine editors with website responsibilities, the challenge is to use digital elements such as chats, blogs and streaming video to their best advantage while maintaining the print magazine’s identity and mission. This course provides a valuable understanding of web tools and students workshop appropriate content to use those tools, also addressing common strategic, logistical and business-related challenges that result in producing great magazine websites.  [Note, this course is offered via distance education in the fall term.] Instructor: Christopher Frey

Applied Arts magazine marks 30 years with new designers, logo and tagline

The redoubtable Applied Arts magazine is celebrating 30 years of publishing with a new design, a new logo and a new tagline, but with the vision of its founder, Georges Haroutiun, intact. The anniversary issue is in the mail now and the design of the has been taken over by Emily Tu and Edmond Ng of the Toronto-based studio Tung. As the magazine's blog reports, they represent the future of design in Canada, the kind that Haroutiun has championed for three decades:

"They approached our magazine with the same careful consideration that Georges did — those of you familiar with the early days of Applied Arts will see a homage in the redesign, from some of the typographic treatments (including our brand-new masthead!) to the strong editorial sensibility.

"We also have a new tagline! Create. Celebrate. speaks exactly to what we do at Applied Arts, and that is to recognize and promote the work that our creative audience makes. Our content is still very much focused on Canadian talent, but this new tagline speaks to our broader international audience.

Of particular interest in the new issue will be its look back by a variety of creative professionals at the ways in which the business -- including magazine design -- has changed in the past 30 years. Photographer George Simhoni of Westside Studio, for instance, reflects on how, in 1986, photography was still analogue and involved camera, file, processing, dye-transfer, retouching and so on and setups often took days to complete.

"Thirty years later, and the whole process is now so much more immediate. Everything is digital. As we shoot the different plates necessary in creating the finished image, it’s possible to compose them before we leave the shoot! I can do so much more now as part of my craft. It’s mind-blowing."

Winnipeg custom publisher to launch global digital magazine Tea Journey

A new digital magazine for tea experts and people who share a passion for tea, called Tea Journey is due to be launched in June. A Kickstarter campaign to help with the launch begins April 4.Dan Bolton, the Winnipeg-based founding editor and publisher, says in a release:

"Tea Journey is like a digital caravan of story tellers who travel to origin and return with authoritative, elusive and exclusive articles, photos, and video that will help our readers discover their tea destiny. It serves a growing marketplace for fine tea with decades of publishing experience and an unprecedented network of devoted and respected tea authorities."

(Bolton is editor of the Tea Biz blog, managing editor of STIR Tea and Coffee magazine and was editor and publisher of Tea Magazine and World Tea News.)

The new digital magazine, published by Mystic Media Custom Publishing, targets established tea lovers looking to discover and refine their taste in tea – selecting, correctly preparing and serving the finest teas from around the world. It will be published three times a year -- the April (Origins) issue, the August (Tea Review) issue, and the November (Gifting) issues -- and delivered via mobile app. Between issues, subscribers receive full-featured articles and multi-media content on the Tea Journey blog. Content can be viewed anytime online at www.teajourney.pub or via custom apps for Apple iOS available on iTunes and the Android store.

There will be profiles of collectors, scientists, antiquities scholars and tea blenders. The magazine will also seek out the best articles from Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese publications and these will be translated by staff.

Subscriptions are $24.95 a year or $14.95 for three months. A 3-day access pass to sample the magazine costs $1.95. Founding sponsorships are $249.50 for 10 subscriptions. 

Lo-res prototype

Canadian Cover Awards finalists named; winners to be announced March 22

The finalists have been named for the Canadian Cover Awards, the winners of which will be announced March 22 at 6 p.m. at the Courtyard Toronto Downtown. The annual competition is run by the Circulation Management Association of Canada and Magazines Canada. The winner of the prestigious Newsstand Marketer of the Year will be announced at the same event. The finalists for the best covers of 2015 are:

General Interest, Arts, Lifestyle & Regional
BC Magazine, Fall 2015
Canadian Geographic, December 2014
Canadian Geographic, January/February 2015
Toronto Life, January 2015
Toronto Life, July 2015
Home & Decor
Canadian House & Home, January 2015
Chez soi, juillet 2015
Les idées de ma maison, avril 2015
Style At Home, May 2015
Style At Home, July 2015
Men's Service
Ignition, Winter 2014
Ignition, Spring 2015
Ignition, Buyer's Guide 2015
Sharp, Fall/Winter 2014
Sharp, April 2015
News, Business, Celebrity
7 jours, septembre 2015
L'actualité, février 2015
Canadian Business, Winter 2014
Maclean's, November 17, 2014
Zoomer, June 2015
SIPS & New Magazines
Canadian Living Specials, Summer BBQ Book
Legion, November 2014
PAS Mag, Japan Special Edition
Style At Home, Cottage Style Special Issue
Tellement bon, décembre 2014
Small Magazines
Canada's History, December 2014/January 2015
Canada's History, August/September 2015
Mariage Québec, Fall/Winter 2014
Rotman Management, Spring 2015
Vallum: Contemporary Poetry, March 2015
Sports & Leisure
Canadian Aviator, November/December 2014
Canadian Traveller, Winter 2014
Fly Fusion, Winter 2015
The Hockey News, March 2015
Pacific Yachting, July 2015
Women's Service
Canadian Living, November 2014
Coup de Pouce, décembre 2014
Elle Canada, September 2015
Elle Québec, juillet 2015
S/ Style & Fashion, Winter 2014

Canadian Medical Association Journal editor fired, again

What goes around, comes around it seems, at the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which went through a major crisis in 2006 when the publisher of the journal fired its editor and second-in-command as part of a move to privatize it. A large part of the magazine's editorial board quit as a result, as did several members of the board, moving their support to an online journal, Open Medicine. 

Now, 10 years on, the editor in chief, John Fletcher, has been fired and the publication's oversight committee has been disbanded. The magazine's editor will now report to the board of directors on editorial matters. (The matter of editorial integrity and independence were among the key issues in the 2006 crisis.) The president of the CMA, Cindy Forbes, is quoted in the Globe and Mail saying changes to the journal were the result of falling revenue and declining submissions.  

On Monday, the remaining editors at the CMAJ published an editorial criticizing the CMA for the changes and for suggesting that the journal's reputation is in decline. CMAJ's interim editor-in-chief is Dr. Diane Kelsall.

Quote, unquote: Setting a new industry standard

"...the contract sets a minimum salary of $50,000 for any full-time Gawker employee, a minimum of $70,000 for senior writers and editors, and a minimum of $90,000 for deputy editors and the editors-in-chief of some of Gawker’s smaller websites. The contract says every employee will be able to meet at least once yearly with his or her supervisor to discuss merit raises."

-- from a Guardian story about the union contract of the Writers Guild of America East with the digital media company Gawker. It is said to be the first commercial company contract of its kind. It provides for a 3% across-the-board pay raise each year for each of the 99 union members and provides that “Any decision on editorial content has to be made by the editorial side – not by business decisions or advertisers.”

New Trail named Alberta mag of the year; Curtis Gillespie of Eighteen Bridges, editor of the year

[This post has been updated] New Trail magazine, the alumni magazine of the University of Alberta, was named Magazine of the Year last night at the Alberta Magazine Awards. It also won gold awards for illustration, art direction of a single issue, editorial package and best cover. All of those awards were for its heavily illustrated "Future of Everything" issue. Art direction was by Marcey Andrews and illustrations by [update] Raymond Biesinger  and Gwen Keraval.

Editor of the year was Curtis Gillespie of Eighteen Bridges, which won 4 gold and 1 silver awards. 

An outstanding individual winner at the awards was Edmonton-based writer Omar Mouallem, who won gold for profiles  in Alberta Venture and service:lifestyle in Swerve and silver for short feature writing in Avenue Edmonton. Mouallem is also editor of The Yards, for which gold went to Mack Lamoureux and silver Allison Voisin in the  emerging writer category. 

Other notable multiple award winners were:

• Avenue Edmonton 6 (2 gold, 4 silver)
• Eighteen Bridges 5 (4 gold, 1 silver)
• Avenue Calgary 5 (5 silver)
• Swerve 4 (3 gold, 1 silver)
• Western Living 4 (1 gold, 4 silver)
• Alberta Oil 3 (2 gold, 1 silver)
• Alberta Venture 3 (1 gold, 2 silver)

Fuel Digital of Montreal to rep Condé Nast French properties across Canada

Fuel Digital Media of Montreal has been selected to represent Francophone properties of Condé Nast across Canada, including such brands as GQmagazine.fr, VanityFair.fr, Vogue.fr and GlamourParis.com. On the company's website, John Sclapari, founding president of Fuel, said

"Focusing on women's & men's lifestyle, as well as international cultural events, Condé Nast Publications contribute to consolidate our position in the category Lifestyle, The addition of these new sites to those of our "Lifestyle" vendors such as Gentside.com, Ohmymag.com and FashionStyleMag.com not only allows us to enrich our offering in this market coveted by advertisers, but also to extend our reach to influential and affluent consumers."

Mag world view: Silicon Valley launched; Garden & Gun live; New Barker; $3.11 avg for digital subs

• Major Changes at Tribune Publishing (Adweek)
• Modern Luxury launches Silicon Valley magazine (WWD)
• Hearst Magazines Adds to Editorial Operations Team (Adweek)
• Garden & Gun Aims to Expand Live Events (Folio:)
• The New Barker Magazine: At Last Florida Dogs Have Their Own New Yorker (Mr. Magazine)
• Mobile Ad Blocking is Rising Among Millennials (Folio:)
• Lena Dunham criticises use of ‘mad Photoshop’ on magazine cover (Guardian)
• BPA Aims to Measure Print Engagement with New “Shoppability” Report (Folio:)
• BBC's What the Papers Say to fold after 60 years (Guardian)
• The average price for a digital newspaper subscription: $3.11 a week (Press Gazette)

Quote, unquote: Is that a corner that magazines just turned?

"What if the business formerly known as the magazine industry has already turned the corner, and the shutdowns and layoffs, as painful as they are, are the consequence of innovation and change—not the desperate actions of a dying business? What if the industry is doing things now that the digital-only media players can’t, and has content creation and marketing skill sets that Google and Facebook can’t replicate?"

-- Tony Silber, in The Untold Story of How Magazine Media is Winning in Folio:

Canada Council makes improved detailed statistical data about grants available

Anyone interested in Canada Council data, particularly about literary and cultural magazine publishing and CC grant recipients, will likely be very pleased about Open Data. There has always been statistical information available about grants, of course, but this new site will likely make it easier to find and use.

"We can now offer the public detailed statistical data regarding our grant recipients in formatted Excel documents and in a machine readable format (.csv)," the council said on its blog. "This means the data can be sorted by programs, regions (e.g. community and federal riding) and can also be added to other databases on arts and culture activities and organizations in Canada. This is exciting news for researchers, arts organizations, funders and many others: this information will help them to have a better picture of a specific reality, activity or practice. This is also exciting news for us: we are better able to respond to your demand for funding data....

"Our downloadable tables Stats and Stories align with international open data standards and include information on each grant recipient, including geography, program, discipline and equity groups for organizations. In addition to grant figures, you can find information on Canada Council Art Bank purchases, Canadian Commission for UNESCO and Special Funds (endowed prizes, Killam Research Fellowships and Prizes and the Japan-Canada Fund). The data, success stories and arts data go hand in hand to illustrate the breadth of Canada Council’s funding activities across Canada and abroad."

 Writing and publishing grants

ELLE Canada has its first Alberta fashion shoot

ELLE Canada goes back to the paleo age in its first fashion editorial shoot done in Alberta, with the dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller as the setting. Ironically, the issue theme is "looking toward the future".



The cover story is an interview with the controversial Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. The cover image was chosen by the readers.