Lianne George replaces Karine Ewart as EIC of Chatelaine

Lianne George has been promoted to editor-in-chief of Chatelaine magazine. Since 2014, when The Grid closed, George has served as editorial director of Rogers Media's flagship women's title. She replaces Karine Ewart who had been in the chair about 17 months; Rogers's announcement made no mention of Ewart's departure.

Ewart moved over from Today's Parent in January 2014 to replace Jane Francisco after she was scooped to become editor-in-chief of Hearst's Good Housekeeping. 

George first joined Rogers in 2004 as associate editor at Maclean's, and was promoted to senior editor a year later. In 2009, she was appointed deputy editor of Canadian Business.  In 2010, she left Rogers to help launch Torstar's Toronto weekly, The Grid, where she helped build the publication into an award-winning multiplatform brand – first as deputy editor, then as editor. 

"I've been a Chatelaine reader for as long as I can remember," she said in a company release. "No other publication has such a rich tradition of chronicling the lives of Canadian women – their families, careers, challenges, and of course, the eternal question of what's for dinner.The opportunity to help reimagine Chatelaine across multiple platforms for a new generation of readers is a great honour."

Chatelaine fashion shoots are part of northern Ireland tourism strategy

Fashion and beauty editor Catherine Franklin and photographer 
Alvaro Goveia  of Chatelaine flank Claire 
Keenan of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board

Wooing the media with air fares and accommodations is standard operating procedure for tourism marketing boards. A good example is the recent promotion by Tourism Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board that led the Canadian magazine to do two fashion shoots in northern Ireland. The result, according to a story in Ballymoney Times, will be two, 8-page fashion features shot at places such as the Causeway Coast, the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, Mussenden Temple and Dunluce Castle.and the gardens and grounds of Glenarm Castle, to run in issues later this year. Plus videos will be shared on Chatelaine's social media platforms. 

Jayne Schackleford, Tourism Ireland's manager for Canada, says

“Both articles will highlight our beautiful scenery and our wonderful castles and gardens – encouraging Canadian holidaymakers to come and experience the destination for themselves.”

Chatelaine magazine launches weekly radio program

Chatelaine magazine, which has already plunged into TV, now will have its own two-hour weekly radio program, starting this Sunday. It is one of the many benefits of being part of a multi-media, multi-platform company like Rogers Communications that its flagship publication can team up with Rogers's network of radio stations to kick off a two-hour radio program starting this Sunday.

The Chatelaine Radio show will air every Sunday on 98.1 CHFI at 7 p.m. ET, Lite 95.9 at 8 a.m. MT, and on CHYM 96.7 and Country 106.7 at 6 p.m. ET, according to a story in Broadcaster magazine. (Rogers owns 55 radio stations across Canada, in 29 markets.)

“One year ago, we expanded to television with the Chatelaine Edition on City’s Cityline. The success of that endeavour gives us confidence that our audience and advertisers will also embrace the Chatelaine experience on radio,” said Chatelaine Publisher Tara Tucker. “Chatelaine is committed to helping our audience ‘make the everyday extraordinary’ no matter their favoured platform, and speaking with them through our Rogers radio stations gives us another opportunity to reach our audiences and deliver our content.”

The program will have two hours of music and lifestyle content and will feature the magazine's team of experts including health editor Laurie Jennings, food editor Claire Tansey, assistant fashion editor Tyler French, and other guest contributors such as Chatelaine editor-in-chief Jane Francisco.

“Chatelaine’s fresh, respected and trusted lifestyle content is a perfect fit for these radio stations,” said Julie Adam, vice president, programming, Rogers Radio. “We look forward to connecting with our audiences in a new way by bringing the pages of Chatelaine to life each week during the show.”

Chatelaine covers itself eight ways to mark 85th anniversary

Chatelaine magazines' June issue, on newsstands today, marks the occasion of its 85th anniversary (not Canada's oldest, but close) by publishing eight different covers in a special bonus double issue. 

The magazine, which is #1 in Canada in terms of paid circulation, now has 800,000 unique monthly visitors to its redesigned chatelaine.com website. According to a company release, the magazine has 40,000 followers on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and has 33,000 monthly visits to its tablet edition. 

New-look Chatelaine seems to have dispensed with substance altogether

I don't believe I'm alone in wondering how far the transformation of venerable magazine Chatelaine will go. The current (June) issue essentially contains no feature material at all. No profiles. No issues dealt with. Nothing that would qualify as a "good read".  The Chatelaine of old could deftly blend fluff and substance. Now, much of the substance appears to have been jettisoned. 

The magazine is, in print and in its web-exclusive content, a steady parade of recipes and food, sex and diet tips, fashion and cosmetics and so on. In other words, pretty much what any garden-variety women's magazine on the continent carries. Which is a shame, essentially dispensing with the content that had kept generations of Chatelaine readers loyal and engaged. It proclaims "Our fresh, new look". But looks aren't everything. 

Related posts:

• New team at Chatelaine reminiscent of the late Wish
• Chatelaine shows six staffers the door
• Style at Home editor Jane Francisco named editor of Chatelaine

Ken Whyte of Maclean's springs to the defence of Chatelaine publisher Kerry Mitchell

Ken Whyte, the publisher of Maclean's, Canadian Business, Profit and MoneySense  has sprung to the defence of his colleague Kerry Mitchell (right), recently the subject of a critical profile called "There's Something about Kerry" in the Ryerson Review of Journalism.

The article, which relied on both unnamed and named sources, paints a picture of the Chatelaine publisher having an  intrusive management style paired with a "hungry ambition". Whyte wrote a letter to the RRJ that said, in part:

I am disappointed that the official publication of a leading Canadian journalism school would publish an article about a senior publishing figure based on "rumours," "whispers," unsourced allegations and the testimony of disgruntled former employees.

The supposed criticisms of my Rogers Publishing colleague Kerry Mitchell are ridiculous. It is not a "transgression" for a publisher to be involved in the cover and contents of her magazine; it is a duty. A "hands-on" management style is not a flaw or a problem but something Kerry has in common with the founder of our company, Ted Rogers (whose name, incidentally, is on the wall at the Ryerson School of Management).

I can say from first-hand knowledge over the last several months that Kerry's relations with the staff at Chatelaine were exemplary. She was of enormous help to me as I became involved in the magazine.

 The article was by Maiya Keidan and Robyn Urback and was posted on the RRJ website on March 31. Whyte clearly wasted no time responding, since his letter to the editor was dated April 1. We could see no evidence that it was fooling.

Chatelaine shows six staffers the door

After a brief interval since the appointment of Jane Francisco as editor, after the firing of editor Maryam Sanati, Chatelaine magazine has let go six staffers. According to a posting on the Toronto Freelance Editors and Writers listserv, (confirmed to Masthead by a Rogers spokesman as to numbers) those shown the door were: Rachel Giese,(handling editor) Melanie Morassutti (deputy editor), Danielle Groen (assistant editor), Jacqueline Nunes (assistant editor), Myles McCutcheon (photo editor) & Sofia Barros (senior designer).

The major staffing changes follow not only the appointment of the new editor, but her recent hiring of three new people in the design department. And it is part of a wider number of staff layoffs, shuffles, promotions and other changes at Rogers consumer magazines since Maclean's publisher and editor Ken Whyte was given responsibility for the entire portfolio.

Maryam Sanati named editor-in-chief of Chatelaine

Maryam Sanati has been named editor-in-chief of Chatelaine, promoted from deputy editor, a job in which she piloted the magazine through some considerable turmoil, including before and after the sudden departure of editor Sara Angel after only13-months on the job

Sanati will be responsible for launching a much-postponed redesign and presiding over the 80th anniversary celebrations of the magazine.

Sanati joined Chatelaine from the Globe and Mail and before that worked at the late Shift magazine and for ROB magazine. She started as an intern at Toronto Life.

David Hayes, who recently wrote a Toronto Life feature on the turmoil at Chatelaine, posted an item on the Toronto Freelance Editors and Writers listserv saying that he thought it was a canny appointment.

Maryam is a real pro, smart, wonderful to work with, sympathetic to freelancers. This is good news for freelance writers (as well as members of Chatelaine’s staff).

Here is a longer press release.