University Affairs and Canadian Grocer named b2b magazines of the year

The 61st annual Kenneth R. Wilson awards for Canadian business to business publishing were presented on Tuesday night in Toronto by Canadian Business Media,

University Affairs magazine was named magazine of the year -- professional. The magazine also won gold for best professional article and art direction of an opening spread or complete feature and a silver award for best issue. Published by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (publisher Christine Tausig Ford, editor Peggy Berkowitz, art direction by Underline Studio) the jury said of it:

"The grid brings interesting rhythm to the magazine, thanks to the bilingual content and the diversity of the visual features. Thoughtful and astute editorial choices are reflected in the illustrations, typography and the conceptual photography. The magazine is well-organized, young, diversified, current and bold, and features a harmonious balance of visual elements and editorial content." 

Magazine of the year -- trade was awarded to Canadian Grocer magazine, published by Rogers Publishing Limited (publisher Jennifer Litterick, editor Rob Gerlsbeck, art director Lindsay Maclachlan). The jury said of it:

"This magazine knows that its readers are not only grocers, but also people. The publication features a nice mix of short and long reads, profiles and big-picture features presented in engaging layouts with loads of entry points"

Leading all magazines in the awards with 6 plus 14 honourable mentions, was CPA Magazine, which won gold for best issue, best merchandising or marketing article and best profile of a person. Professionally Speaking had 3 gold and 2 silver awards and 5 honourable mentions, University Affairs, with 3 gold and 1 silver award and 6 honourable mentions and Precedent magazine, 3 awards, all gold, and 1 honourable mention.  

The gold award for best issue went to CPA Magazine, The Money Issue (May 2014), and University Affairs won silver for their Right to be Safe Issue (November 2014). 

In the category of best cover, the gold medal was awarded to Foodservice and Hospitality (TheFood Issue) and the silver medal to Professionally Speaking (On the Road to Great Nutrition).

Receiving other silver awards were Lexpert, The Medical Post, Le Médecin du Québec, UTSC Commons, Transport Routier, OHS Canada and Building magazine.

Among individual award winners there was a tie for gold for best profile of a person, awarded to John Lorinc in CPA magazine and Valérie Lesage for her profile in Les Affaires. There was another tie, this time for silver, in best feature article -- trade, won by both Carmelle Wolfson, OHS Canada and Leah Lawrence in Oilweek. 
Complete list of winners and links to winning articles

U.S. business press editors choose Computerworld and SC as mags of the year

The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) has chosen IDG's Computerworld magazine as its magazine of the year in the category of titles over $2 million in revenue; and Haymarket's SC magazine for the under-$2 million category, according to a story in Folio:.

Judges cited both winners for clean design, use of illustrations, easy pullout data and coverage of timely issues.

Other finalists in the $2 million or over category included Architect, Associations Now, Bloomberg Businessweek (honorable mention), Building Design & Construction, CFO, HR Magazine, Overdrive, Restaurants & Institutions and Security Management (honorable mention).

In the under $2 million category, finalists included Chain Leader (honorable mention), Emergency Management (honorable mention), Exhibitor Magazine, Move, Oregon Business, Residential Architect, Strategy + Business, Vineyard & Winery Management and Wearables.

Canadian Business Press buys the Magazine University name

Canadian Business Press (CBP), the service and lobbying group for many of Canada's trade publications has purchased the rights to the name Magazines University from North Island Publishing along with an associated web property. The deal means that CBP will continue running the annual Mags U event (and, possibly some sort of trade show) that had previously been co-produced with North Island's magazine Masthead, which is folding by year's end. The deal was reported yesterday by Masthead.

That would mean there will continue to be two June events offering professional development seminars to the magazine industry, the other being MagNet, run by a partnership of Magazines Canada, the Canadian Circulation Marketing Association (CMC) and the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors (CSME), the Professional Writers Association of Canada, the Canadian Authors Association and associated with the various provincial magazine associations and the Editors Association of Canada and .

“We are pleased that CBP will continue the Mags U tradition,” said North Island president Alexander Donald. “We have been great partners for many years, and we feel this agreement that clarifies ownership is in the best interests of both Mags U and the industry at large.”

“The Magazines University trademark is very important to us at the CBP because the name has been associated with quality and excellence within the magazine publishing community,” said Alex Papanou, Chair of the CBP. “The CBP and its partners will continue to provide our industry with a quality event that we can all be proud of.”

Interestingly, the name Magazines University is only North Island's to sell because it trademarked the brand in 2002 to the surprise of its then partners. The collaborative and cooperative approach that had begun many years before soon deteriorated. Magazines University had been launched in 1992 as a collaboration between the Canadian Periodical Publishers Association (the predecessor to Magazines Canada) and Masthead and later involved other partner organizations to a greater or lesser degree, including CBP and CMC. The industry associations provided the seminars and Masthead ran a trade show and a joint working group shared marketing, costs, revenues and responsibility for the event.

CBP's move is complicated somewhat by the fact that Rogers Media trade publications have left the organization and joined Magazines Canada and the MagNet conference will be offering a range of b2b-related seminars.

Related posts:

• Magazines Canada to allow business-to-business magazine membership
• Message from participants in magazines conferences: kiss and make up

Glacier Media revenue and earnings up in 2nd quarter

Glacier Media (which was formerly known as Glacier Ventures International Corp.) has released second quarter results that show for the three months ended June 20, the magazine and community newspaper company earned $13.1 million in net income on revenues of $68.9 million, compared with $10.million on $56.3 million in revenues in the same period a year ago. 

The significant growth was at least in part the result of the acquisition in January of JuneWarren Publishing -- for instance, all of the revenue from the annual Canadian Oilfield Service and Supply Directory was reflected in the quarter. During the quarter, Glacier also acquired Electronic Products and Technology magazine. Most of Glacier's revenue is advertising based, since approximately 85% of the companies newspaper distribution is free.

The company's trade magazine division is largely made up of the 90 magazines in  Business Information Group which was acquired from Hollinger Inc. in a deal announced in January 2006. It also publishes The Western Producer, Canada's largest paid circulation farm publication and Acreage Life.

Magazines Canada to allow business-to-business magazine membership

Trade magazines are in -- if they want to be. The annual general meeting of Magazines Canada, the country's consumer magazine association, has passed a board recommendation that changes the bylaws to allow business-to-business titles to join.

This opens the door to Rogers Publishing to bring its stable of trade magazines -- which recently left the Canadian Business Press -- to join Magazines Canada. It also opens the door to the kind of "big tent" approach to represent all magazine interests under one umbrella, something that has been written about frequently here (see related posts below).

(It is also not entirely coincidental that Ian Locks, the recently retired President of the British Periodical Publishers Association, made a presentation today at the MagNet conference, outlining the 20-year development of an all-encompassing association that not only represents b-to-b but also custom publishers and has alliances with online and directory publishers.)

Related posts:

• Segal to CBP Board: the merger train is leaving...
• Magazines Canada board recommends allowing trade magazines as members
• Rogers pullout costs CBP 20% of membership revenue
• CBP Prez says trade publishing association should stay independent
• Rogers b-to-b titles to pull out of Canadian Business Press
• One magazine organization
  

Rogers trade books decline to enter KRWs

It's not altogether surprising that Rogers Publishing's trade magazines, having pulled their membership from the Canadian Business Press recently, have largely refrained from entering the Kenneth R. Wilson awards (commonly known as the KRWs) that are run by CBP. According to a story in mastheadonline (sub req'd), with the deadline passed, fewer than 10 entries were received for the 2008 KRWs. Phil Boyd, the president of the Canadian Business Press said they would normally expect 175.

Boyd would not confirm an actual figure, but Masthead estimates less than 10 entries were received, which would put the loss of revenue for the CBP at around $14,000. Rogers also pulled its $2,500 sponsorship of the awards earlier this year. No Rogers editors were present at the KRW Peer Judging panel held last week. Several Rogers entries came from freelancers, Boyd said.

Rogers and some other trade publishers are known to be in conversation with Magazines Canada about offering membership and services to b to b publishers or creating some sort of trade publishing division.

The situation is pregnant with irony since Kenneth R. Wilson, the man after whom the awards are named, was a well-respected Ottawa Editor of the Financial Post and worked for Maclean Hunter, the predecessor to Rogers.

British b-to-b sector prospers and set to grow despite economic outlook

Print still brings home the bacon for British b-to-b publishers, but fewer than 15% of them plan to launch new print ventures, at least with the current uncertain economic outlook. According to a story in U.K. Press Gazette, research commissioned by the trade body the Periodical Publishers Association shows British business media is now worth almost £23bn annually and is set to grow, despite the economic downturn.

Business media, which includes the B2B side of brands like the Financial Times, The Economist Group and Reuters, as well as solely B2B companies, enjoyed a turnover in 2006 of almost £23bn, up from £15.6bn in 2004, according to the survey conducted by GfK NOP.

Print remains at the heart of B2B operations, generating £8.9bn of turnover or 46 per cent of total

Online is up from £1.2 bn in 2004 to £2.8bn in 2006, and is expected to be the biggest area of development in the next five years, with more than a third of companies surveyed predicting further investment in this area.

Incisive Media CEO and chair of the PPA’s Business Media Council Tim Weller said: “As a sector we are truly the envy of our British media peers and the blueprint for a successful industry, and by God let’s not be ashamed to shout about it.

“To put it into context, at £23bn the UK business information and professional media industry is the same size as the UK education sector.”

The 2007 survey included some new sectors not included in the 2004 survey but even with that taken into account, the new figure still represents an 18 per cent revenue growth in the sector in two years.

Weller said that the figures indicated how well British editors and journ­alists had overcome what he called the “biggest cultural challenge” of delivering news when it happens, wherever it happens.

Weller said: “What editors can take from this is how well business media have embraced the different delivery channels, such as online, and in person delivery.

“If you compare it to other forms of media we seem to have got our business models right. We’re making money online and we’re making money face to face.”

Rogers b-to-b titles pull out of the Canadian Business Press

[NOTE: This story has been updated. See below.]

Rogers Media Publishing is pulling out of the Canadian Business Press (CBP). With its membership will go about 40% of the CBP's budget. Of the 160 CBP member titles, Rogers publishes 36, in both French and English, including some of the largest.

John Milne, Senior Vice-President, Rogers Business & Professional Group has sent a memorandum to his senior managers in the business-to-business division announcing the decision, which was discussed informally with several publishers of Rogers' trade magazines recently. It is understood that the company wants to negotiate some form of association with Magazines Canada, the principal consumer magazine publishing association.

[UPDATE: Here is the story as reported to its members on the CBP website. Interestingly, it suggests that there is willingness by CBP to enter into discussions about reuniting its involvement with that of Magazines Canada in one annual industry conference. A meeting is scheduled for next week, it says, between MagsCan chair Robert Goyette and CBP Chair David McClung.

And here is the story as carried by Mastheadonline (sub req'd), including quotes from John Milne.]

It is not clear what impacts this decision will have elsewhere in the magazine industry. For instance, CBP's partnership in Magazines University, the annual magazine conference run with North Island Publishing, publishers of Masthead magazine. Or the annual Kenneth R. Wilson Awards for trade publishing which are run by CBP although membership in the organization is not necessary for specialized business, trade and farm publications to enter. Rogers has been a major sponsor of the awards.

It is also not known whether any other magazines or magazine groups will decamp from CBP to join a possible new b-to-b caucus within Magazines Canada.

Immediacy online, depth in print: the inevitable future of b-to-b publishing

The power of web publishing is inexorably moving strong business to business print brands to reduce their print frequency and making up the difference with beefed-up news and opinion online. In magazine-related circles in Canada, Marketing did just this and so did the magazine industry trade magazine Masthead. Now, Adweek magazine in the U.S. has announced that it is reducing its weekly to 36 issues annually.

"While our magazine continues to be an essential element of this iconic, multi-platform brand, we are moving with our audience by relaunching Adweek.com to maximize the value we provide our community—delivering the most robust content in the industry 24/7 replete with exclusive Nielsen data. In addition, we will publish 36 print issues next year, beginning in the first quarter of 2008, and continue to engage the community through our events and forums," [said Sabrina Crow, senior vice president of the media and marketing group at Nielsen Business Media].