Mobile Version / Subscribe / Back Issues / About Us / Contact Us / Advertise

Thanks for choosing DMNews.com! Sign up for your FREE account now and join the thousands of other marketing professionals who rely on us for all the latest industry news and innovative ideas for direct and digital strategy. Simply fill out the fields below.

Keep me logged in Forgot your password?

Please wait...

Please wait...

Time Inc. CMO, EVP resign

Time Inc., CMO Stephanie George and Steve Sachs, EVP of consumer marketing and sales, will be leaving the company, the company confirmed March 9. Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang has named a four-person team that will comprise the new Office of the Chief Executive Officer, according to an internal memo.
 

ABC to introduce newspaper circulation tool

The Audit Bureau of Circulations will launch a tool May 3 that will allow marketers, agencies and publishers to search daily newspaper circulation figures and create custom evaluations from the company's eFAS-FAX report.
 

Forbes Media appoints Consuegra CMO

Forbes Media announced it has named Jorge Consuegra CMO, a new position. Consuegra was previously SVP at Western Union, leading the US product management team.
 

Time Inc. names IAB CEO Rothenberg first chief digital officer

Media company Time Inc. has named Randall Rothenberg, currently the president and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, to the newly created position of EVP and chief digital officer, effective January 18. He will report to Jack Griffin, the company's CEO.
 

UBM launches online community TheCMOSite.com

Alex Palmer

United Business Media launched TheCMOSite.com, a new online community for marketing executives, this week. The site offers news, peer guidance, best practices and research to high-level marketers at large companies. The content will focus primarily on Internet marketing.
 

Forbes Media names Perlis president and CEO

Forbes Media named veteran media executive Mike Perlis president and CEO on November 15. Perlis was most recently a general partner at SoftBank Capital, a venture firm specializing in digital and Internet-based properties. He focused on companies including Associated Content, BeliefNet and Huffington Post while at the firm.
 

DMNews to refresh brand

DMNews is poised to debut a completely refreshed brand, including a new logo and magazine, a revamped website and an iPad edition. The brand's new name, Direct Marketing News, is designed to emphasize the breadth and depth of our marketing coverage, which no longer stands simply for "direct mail."
 

News America Marketing to run coupon insert in 'Journal'

News America Marketing's SmartSource Magazine coupon insert will appear in 'The Wall Street Journal' in select cities beginning August 14. It is the first coupon insert to appear in the newspaper.
 

ABM taps Pettit

American Business Media, a business-to-business media association, named Clark Pettit its president and CEO, July 8. He replaced Gordon Hughes, who announced last winter he would leave the position.
 

Rodale rebrands custom publishing group

Rodale has rebranded its Rodale Custom Publishing division to Rodale Custom Content & Marketing.Though the move comes after both Meredith Corp. and Hearst Corp. beefed up their marketing capabilities, the company is not simply riding an industry trend, said Valerie Valente, senior VP and publishing director at Rodale.
 

Simmons, Affinity partner for enhanced reader data

Experian Simmons and Affinity will combine information from their respective National Consumer and American Magazine studies into a combined database for media buyers and marketers within the next month. The companies announced the partnership May 6.
 

Media look for growth in digital

Media companies, many of which have watched their print circulations plummet in recent years, are stepping onto digital marketers' turf to rescue their revenue streams.
 

US daily newspapers see 8.7% circulation decrease: ABC

Weekday circulation at US daily newspapers fell 8.7% year-over-year for the six-month period ending March 2010, according to data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Sunday circulation dropped 6.5%, according to the statistics, which were released April 26.
 

ABC, Verve Wireless partner on mobile circulation data

ABCi, the Audit Bureau of Circulations' interactive unit, announced April 22 that it has partnered with Verve Wireless to audit newspapers' mobile content delivered with Verve's publishing platform.
 

Publishers expect subscription lift from iPad

The publishing industry is looking to the iPad to stanch the exodus of print subscribers - and the ad dollars that followed them.
 

Reed Elsevier shutters 23 titles

Business magazine publisher Reed Elsevier completed the divestment process for its Reed Business Information magazines on April 16 by closing 23 titles.
 

Cox signs TargetSpot for Web radio ad placement

Cox Media Group, a subsidiary of media giant Cox Enterprises, signed TargetSpot on April 6 to place ads on its Internet radio properties. TargetSpot will feed 10- to 15-second ads into the streams of 82 Cox radio stations in 19 markets.
 

'Traditional Home' rolls out barcoded April issue with smartphone bonus content

Traditional Home incorporated barcodes, which consumers can use to view additional content, into its April issue. Marketers including Scandia and KraftMaid added post-roll ads to the "Tip Clip" barcoded content in the issue.
 

ABC updates definition of digital edition

The Audit Bureau of Circulations released new definitions of what comprises a magazine's digital edition on March 16. The move came after Wired sought review of its iPad version, which will qualify as a "digital replica" under the updated guidelines.
 

New York Times takes on Journal in business-to-business campaign

'The New York Times' launched a business-to-business campaign on March 15 to promote its reach among women, professionals and art enthusiasts in the New York market compared to the rival 'Wall Street Journal.'
 

Stratmark loyalty initiative targets newspaper subscribers

Stratmark launched "My Reader Rewards," a program that allows newspaper subscribers to accumulate points with a periodical's advertisers, on March 9. The company is in negotiations with 14 media outlets to implement the program.
 

Times Co. appoints staff for paid Web model

Brand Republic Staff

The New York Times Co. has made a series of staff changes for its Web site as part of its move to implement a paid content metered model in 2011.
 

Hoveround selects Mercury Media for DRTV buying

Hoveround, a manufacturer of personal assistance vehicles, selected Mercury Media for its DRTV media buying on January 27. A DRTV campaign for the brand will launch this month.
 

Media vet Rutman handling Ad Council media

The Ad Council retained Charlie Rutman, through his consulting firm End Zone Communications, to direct its media department, effective January 4. He is working to secure donated media support for the organization's campaigns.
 

Rodale names president, integrated marketing and sales, CMO

Health publisher Rodale announced December 15 it has promoted Gregg Michaelson to president, integrated marketing and sales, CMO. He had been EVP of customer marketing for the company. In his new role, Michaelson will lead Rodale's print and digital ad sales, custom publishing and other marketing initiatives.
 

Ad spending to stabilize in 2010, online to lead the way

Advertising spending forecasts for next year represent the first glimmer of hope that the ad market will finally stabilize after an unprecedented downturn. Three leading industry prognosticators weighed in with predictions for next year: ZenithOptimedia said advertising spending will grow globally by 0.9% in 2010 to nearly $448 billion; GroupM predicted similar growth (0.8%) to $448 billion; and Magna Global had a more optimistic prediction of a 6% global advertising increase to $380 billion.
 

Skin care company Avvaa tests DRTV effort

Avvaa, a Canada-based seller of skin care products, launched a two-week DRTV test in the US on October 5. The test features two-minute, 60-second and 30-second spots on 100 stations. The spots aim to drive Internet and phone sales of Avvaa's Neuroskin Psoriasis Relief product among new customers.
 

WorldLink managing DRTV ad sales for AmericanLife TV

Advertising sales firm WorldLink has agreed to sell short-form DRTV spots for baby boomer-focused cable network AmericanLife TV. Total Communications Group had previously handled the business.
 

Petnovations readies new CatGenie DRTV spot for primetime

Petnovations, the manufacturer of self-cleaning litter box CatGenie, is nearing completion of a 60-second DRTV spot promoting the product. The goal of the ad is to broaden awareness of the cat box, drive its placement at retail and increase customer acquisition.
 

ABC gains five digital publishing members

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), an organization that checks the print circulation, readership and Web site activity of media outlets, has added five companies involved in digital publishing initiatives to its roster. The new members include Bite Sized Candy, the creator of a soon-to-be-launched technology that makes magazines available via iTunes and readable on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
 

EDiets.com challenges high-spending competitors with DRTV effort

EDiets.com, working with new advertising agency Karlin & Pimsler, will debut a DRTV campaign this month developed to stand out against the company's better-heeled competitors in the nutritional foods vertical.
 

FT to launch Wealth in the US

On October 16, the Financial Times will launch a US edition of its FT Wealth magazine. The quarterly, which focuses on luxury living and wealth management, will be sent for free to select FT readers as part of their subscriptions to the newspaper and will also be placed at select newsstands.
 

Women's Health SA launch backed by multichannel push

The launch of a new fitness magazine in South Africa is beginning with an online-only debut on September 9 and will be followed by a direct mail push. Women's Health South Africa, a venture from Rodale Inc and South African publisher Touchline Media, will first appear on newsstands there on October 21.
 

Reader's Digest Association releases restructuring plan

Reader's Digest Association has announced a restructuring plan through which a number of its lenders will take a stake in the company in return for reducing the debt. The agreement is expected to lower RDA's total debt load from $2.2 billion to $550 million.
 

The New York Times launches mail order club

The New York Times Company announced on August 17 it has launched The New York Times Wine Club, a mail order club that has the potential to provide the embattled publisher with another source of revenue. The newspaper partnered with Global Wine Company, an outsourcer that operates wine mail order clubs for consumer brands such as Omaha Steaks, to handle the business on a turn-key basis.
 

New categories in 2010 DMNews Buyers Guide

The second edition of the annual DMNews Buyer's Guide — a comprehensive list of direct marketing service providers and creative agency partners — will include three new categories: behavioral targeting, online video and social media services.
 

FT, others float Web subscriptions

Newspapers, buffeted by this year's downturn in print advertising revenue, are increasingly looking to new online revenue strategies. The Financial Times (FT) is the latest example of this push for online cash, with its announcement that it is considering a "pay-as-you-read" model for its content on the Web.
 

Web at heart of Vibe, Portfolio resuscitation

Two magazines that shuttered earlier this year are making comebacks with a digital focus: Vibe, under new ownership, will relaunch in print and online this Fall, while Condé Nast's Portfolio has reopened as a Web-only venture owned by American City Business Journals (ACBJ).
 

FT may offer new pay model for online content

Newspapers, buffeted by this year's downturn in print advertising revenue, are increasingly looking to new online revenue strategies. The Financial Times (FT) is the latest example of this push for online cash, with its announcement that it is considering a "pay-as-you-read" model for its content on the Web.
 

MPA looks to supermarkets for newsstand boost

Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) will expanded a newsstand promotion that was tested last year for a full-on, regional, in-store campaign, launching Friday. Supermarkets in the Pennsylvania area, with some spillover into New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, will host the campaign, designed to encourage newsstand sales of consumer magazines.
 

Borrell Associates: Newspapers on road to recovery

A memo released today by research firm Borrell Associates Inc. indicates that newspapers may soon pull out of their current slump. Colby Atwood, president of Borrell Associates and author of the memo, expects the decline in the newspaper industry to end this year, followed by a 2.4% increase in advertising revenue in 2010 alone.
 

Southern Accents to cease print

Southern Accents, a Time Inc. publication focusing on Southern style and living, will cease publishing. The September/October 2009 issue will be the last print edition of the bi-monthly, though it is slated to continue online production at SouthernAccents.com. The economy, which has seen Southern Accents' ad pages drop 37% between Q2 2008 and Q2 2009 (per PIB), was cited as a major reason for the closure.
 

Reed Business titles back on the block

Following a disappointing first half and an enterprise-wide portfolio review, Reed Elsevier is putting portions of its Reed Business Information (RBI) unit back on the block. This time around, the company's US titles only are up for sale, barring a handful that will become part of RBI Global. Variety, which has a weekly circulation of 34,000, Reed Construction Data, RSMeans, MarketCast, LA411 and BuyerZone, will all be retained.
 

New ABC report highlights e-newsletters' importance

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) highlighted the growing importance of digital content this week when it released its first audit report specifically for e-newsletters. ABC's interactive unit, ABCi, had offered multimedia reports that include e-newsletter information, but this report, for Advertising Age, is the first to focus solely on a publisher's combined e-newsletter products. Previous e-newsletter audits appeared on Consolidated Media Reports or Multimedia Publisher's Statements.
 

USA Today to send new e-edition Monday

USA Today will launch a new e-edition and its first regular weekend product on Monday, August 3. The Gannett-owned paper was already offering an e-edition that had limited reach — making up about 1200 of USA Today's average daily circulation of 2,113,725. This new offering will be sent as a companion product to all print subscribers and included in USA Today's overall ABC measurement for circulation.
 

Ad losses hurt AH Belo in Q2

Reflecting continuing ad sales troubles in the newspaper industry, publisher AH Belo Corp. reported a second quarter net loss of $7.1 million Monday morning. Advertising revenue — for print and online — was down 30.2% compared to Q2 2008, and Internet revenues were down 20.8%, to $9.8 million. All told, company total revenue fell 21.9% from the same period a year ago.
 

Publications shift ad focus away from print

In a sign of the hard times faced by print businesses today, two major newspaper companies, the New York Times Co.-owned Boston Globe Media and Washington Post Co., have launched new business divisions that are decidedly not focused on ink and paper.
 

Parenting School Years increases rate base

Parenting School Years will raise its rate base by 50,000 — to 550,000 — as of its February 2010 issue. The magazine's ongoing growth push also includes a custom publishing project, slated for August, as well as a direct mail campaign and a move to newsstand availability in September.
 

Food Network expands borders, rate base and campaign

Food Network brand continued its multichannel outreach efforts this week, launching a Food Network Canada mobile app for Blackberry and announcing another rate base hike for its eponymous magazine. With its January/February 2010 issue, Food Network Magazine will increase its rate base to 1 million copies. The glossy, published in partnership with Hearst Magazines, officially launched last month with a rate base of 400,000.
 

Congressional Quarterly joins Roll Call Group to form major Beltway player

Roll Call Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Economist Group, has acquired Congressional Quarterly (CQ) in a move to cement its hold on the DC political market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CQ, a magazine for Congressmen and other DC insiders, and its Web site, will join the newly formed CQ-Roll Call Group, which also includes 2008 Roll Call acquisition Capitol Advantage, the weekday daily Roll Call magazine, CongressNow wire service and other content sources.
 

Parenting School Years ups rate base, joins newsstands

Parenting School Years will raise its rate base by 50,000 — to 550,000 — as of its February 2010 issue. The magazine's ongoing growth push also includes a custom publishing project, slated for August, and a move to newsstand availability in September.
 

New company from Forbes.com CEO will "bridge the gap" between old, new media

, Carol Krol

After stepping down from his current position later this year, Jim Spanfeller, the president and CEO of Forbes.com, will take his digital content expertise to the masses by starting his own media management company. Spanfeller's new business will help traditional media companies bridge the gap that still exists between the analog and the digital marketplace.
 

NY Blade gets the ax

The New York Blade, a 22,000-circ gay and lesbian paper, has suspended publication. The Blade, sister title to the New England Blade — which shuttered its print edition in October 2008 — and HX Magazine, was distributed for free around New York City on a weekly and bi-weekly schedule, depending on time of year.
 

Vibe Media Group to shut down

Vibe Media Group (VMG), parent company of Vibe and the newly launched The Most Mag, will shut down at 8pm tonight, June 30. All properties, including its Web sites, will be discontinued. Vibe, the flagship magazine, had a total paid and verified circulation of 817,825 as of December 31 — a slight drop from a high of 879,072 in 2007. Per MRI, Vibe's readership was split evenly between men and women, and median reader age was around 29.
 

Bonnier taps Time Inc. vet for ad, brand growth

Bonnier Corp. has continued its expansion by adding Chris Allen to its management team as VP of group publishing and corporate sales. Allen worked on Time Inc.'s Cooking Light brand for 17 years, most recently as publisher. At Bonnier, Allen will manage nine titles in the travel, shelter and lifestyle categories, including Islands, Garden Design and Spa.
 

PrivatAir taps Ink to redesign custom magazine

PrivatAir, a company that offers private flights to VIPs and executives, has signed Ink Publishing to helm a relaunch of its custom magazine in July. The 6,500-circulation quarterly, PrivatAir — the magazine, is offered on board PrivatAir flights and on all business-class services operated by partners Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines and KLM, and at some luxury hotels in Europe and the Middle East. It's also direct mailed to PrivatAir clients and subscribers worldwide.
 

Meredith turns social site into magazine

Meredith is launching a new magazine, Mixing Bowl, as an extension of its nascent social media site of the same name. MixingBowl.com, an online community focused on cooking and other food topics, soft-launched in February with invites to known online "mavens" in the space. The site, part of The Meredith Women's Network, now has 19,000 registered members and expects 180,000 unique visitors this month.
 

Reader's Digest pulls back print, focuses on digital

Reader's Digest is reducing its rate base and frequency as it redirects resources to new media and digital initiatives worldwide. The US edition of the magazine will slowly trim its rate base from 8 million to 5.5 million over the course of 18 months, starting with the February 2010 issue. Cuts will be focused on less profitable and less loyal subscriptions.
 

MPA Handbook shows successes, pitfalls of mags in 2008

The 2009-2010 Magazine Handbook, released this week by Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), reports that magazine readership and influence remains strong, in spite of slipping ad numbers.
 

FamilyFun plays up Disney connection, launches custom pub division

FamilyFun magazine is rebranding and launching a line of spin-off products and a custom publishing line in a rare growth push for media companies in this economy. The moms- and kids-focused monthly will be known as Disney FamilyFun, after its parent company, as of the August issue. The company's magazine publishing division is also changing its name, to Disney FamilyFun Group, all in an effort to make the most of combined brand power of Disney and the 2.1 million-circulation FamilyFun.
 

New magazine targets frozen and dairy grocery industry

Highlighting the continued strength of the grocery industry, a new magazine for buyers and sellers of frozen and dairy products will launch this summer. Frozen and Dairy Buyer, slated to debut in August, will target buyers of frozen and dairy foods at the supermarket HQ level and those involved with the sale of such products to consumers, as well as some manufacturers.
 

Bonnier snags five HFMUS titles

Bonnier Corp. completed its acquisition of five Hachette Filipacchi Media US brands on Monday, June 1. The five acquired brands — Popular Photography, Flying, Boating, Sound and Vision and American Photo — fit snugly with Bonnier's existing catalog of special interest titles, which includes Scuba Diving, Field and Stream and Saveur. All five have print magazines, but they also encompass Web sites, books, licensing agreements, videos and branded events.
 

BPA names new chair, adds to board

BPA Worldwide has named Gaye Sussman its chairman for 2009-2010 and elected five new members to its board of directors. BPA president and CEO Glenn Hansen will report to Sussman, and she will oversee board meetings and sit on the executive committee of BPA.
 

LAetcetera stumbles out of the starting gate

LAetcetera, the second weekend glossy planned as an insert for the Los Angeles Times, has suspended publication after only a month of printing. It was scheduled to have been mailed three times per month. The paper's first insert glossy, the monthly LA, will continue publishing.
 

National Geographic retains Epsilon

National Geographic Society, publisher of the more than 5 million circulation National Geographic magazine, has retained Epsilon for database hosting and marketing services. The nonprofit has been an Epsilon database client since 1997 and also uses the agency's e-mail and Epsilon Targeting services to manage and market to its 45 million-member database.
 

New York to up price, lower circ

New York magazine will raise its subscription prices and cut circulation in an effort to stanch falling revenues and target higher quality readers. With the July 13 issue, the weekly's rate base will drop from 425,000 to 400,000, with many of the cut copies coming from public place circulation.
 

East West magazine to relaunch in September

East West magazine, a lifestyle glossy devoted to the Asian American perspective, will relaunch in September, following a lengthy hiatus. The magazine shuttered in April 2008, after four years of publishing, and its Web site has not been updated since. However, according to editor and publisher, Anita Malik, site traffic has grown since the shuttering — which left the magazine's archives searchable — thus encouraging a relaunch.
 

Sandow Media upgrades Worth

Sandow Media is relaunching Worth magazine this month, aligning with an extensive redesign and a switch to a more exclusive distribution model. The lifestyle and personal finance magazine, which Sandow acquired last year, will be direct-mailed to 110,000 high net-worth readers in the top 11 designated market areas (DMAs) in the US.
 

Startup Mediacy offers ads on magazine cover wraps

Mediacy, a startup launched May 1 from out-of-home ad veteran Michael Gitter, offers advertisers a way to target consumers by wrapping ads around magazines that are then given to different venues. In addition to wrapping the covers, ads can be placed inside the magazines using a proprietary technique.
 

Tucson Citizen shuttered, despite bids

On Saturday, May 16, Gannett Co. is publishing the last print edition of its Arizona-based daily the Tucson Citizen. The 20,000-circ paper — Arizona's oldest — will live on as a Web site that focuses only on opinions, with no news or community updates. Gannett will uphold its joint publishing partnership with Lee Enterprises' Arizona Daily Star, also based in Tucson.
 

Publishers continue to grow digital output

Digital initiatives continue to gain traction among traditional print publishers — and among readers — according to new research from the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). The MPA reports that consumer magazines released 76 new digital initiatives in the first quarter of 2009 — 10% more than in Q1 last year.
 

Good Housekeeping upping trim size, trimming rate base

Amid a flurry of design changes and anniversary celebrations, Hearst Corp.'s Good Housekeeping magazine is trimming its rate base from 4.6 million to 4.3 million and raising its cover price. Trimming the rate base is expected to help the publisher do away with low-performing newsstand locations and offers that produce low renewals.
 

Metro International divests US dailies

The US operations of Metro International SA, publisher of free dailies, have been sold to former Metro CEO Pelle Tornberg. Metro International, which cited loss of revenue in the US division as a reason for the sale, is taking a loss of $2 million on the sale, the AP reported.
 

Vibe to launch new tabloid

Vibe Media Group will launch a new print and online brand, The Most, in June. TheMostmag.com debuts June 1, to be followed by a print tabloid of the same name on June 16. The Most, circulation 300,000, will be distributed nationwide on a newsstand-only model.
 

LA Times to launch second glossy magazine

The Los Angeles Times is launching a new weekend magazine insert, LAetcetera, on Sunday, May 10. LAetcetera will be produced by the same independent editorial team that helms the LA Times' monthly Sunday glossy, LA. The new magazine will be distributed quasi-weekly — three times a month — to 480,000 targeted subscribers who do not already receive LA.
 

Newspapers use Kindle to boost long-term subs

The New York Times, Boston Globe and Washington Post are leveraging consumer excitement over the release of the new Kindle DX in campaigns to boost their own sales numbers. DX — the large-screen version of Amazon's e-reader — is currently available for preorder at Amazon.com, but Times, Globe and Post readers will be eligible for price cuts on the $489 reader in exchange for long-term subscription orders to the Kindle versions of the newspapers.
 

RDA's Selecciones to shutter in US

Selecciones, a Spanish-language magazine published by the Reader's Digest Association, will stop publishing its US edition as of the June issue. RDA president Eva Dillon pinned the 37-year-old magazine's demise on its lack of long-term growth possibilities.
 

Private equity firm completes acquisition of Union-Tribune

Private equity firm Platinum Equity has completed its purchase of The San Diego Union-Tribune, one of the most-read dailies in California. Forty-one percent of adults in the Union-Tribune's distribution area read the Sunday paper, compared to 36% at the second-most read and 23% at the Los Angeles Times. As of September 28, 2008, the Union-Tribune had an average weekday circulation of 269,819, and a Sunday circulation of 342,384.
 

National Law Journal relaunches with deeper DC coverage

Incisive Media has combined two of its legal titles — National Law Journal and Legal Times — and relaunched them as a new, redesigned National Law Journal and Law.com Web site. The National Law Journal serves a select subscriber base of corporate and litigation lawyers across the US. With the addition of about 5,000 Washington, DC-based Legal Times readers to its subscriber list, The National Law Journal now serves 17,000 print subscribers weekly.
 

Western magazine turns to new frontier - online

Cowboys & Indians, a magazine focused on Western lifestyles, has redesigned its Web site in an effort to cross-promote its online and offline properties. The new site features content from the print edition of Cowboys & Indians as well as blogs, audio and video, events coverage and other online features. The goal is to better engage existing readers — who number 158,407 — while drawing in a fresh audience that is interested in Western living.
 

The Atlantic turns to PCD for fulfillment

The Atlantic has tapped Palm Coast Data (PCD) for fulfillment duties, effective July 1. Following a review of PCD and its main competitor, CDS, The Atlantic chose PCD based on the cost of services. The Atlantic had reached the end of its contract with CDS when it put its business into review.
 

Portfolio gets axed

Condé Nast Portfolio has ended its short but dramatic run. The May issue, out now, will be the last for the glossy business magazine. Launched with much fanfare in May 2007, Portfolio has published only 21 issues. As of December 31, total paid and verified circulation was 449,005 — 12.3% higher than its rate base of 400,000.
 

New York trims print schedule

New York magazine will trim two issues — June 22 and August 17 — from its summer publishing schedule in an effort to cut costs. The weekly, which has a total paid and verified circulation of 431,626, cites an expected ad slowdown as the reason behind the cuts.
 

Colorado paper targets local audiences with free pub

The Gazette, a 96,351-circulation daily out of Colorado Springs, CO, is launching a series of free neighborhood papers next month in an effort to diversify its offerings for readers and advertisers. The new publications, called Ink, will be geo-targeted to three retail areas in and around Colorado Springs: downtown, the west side of the city, and Manitou Springs, where it will be distributed in sales racks at local businesses.
 

Wildlife Conservation magazine axed in restructuring

Wildlife Conservation, the magazine of the non-profit Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), has published its last issue. The bi-monthly had 92,000 subscribers, who were informed of its demise in the editor's note in the final issue.
 

Food Network Magazine to launch, raise circ

Food Network Magazine will increase its rate base to 900,000 this October, following an official launch at a rate base of 400,000 in June. The Hearst title ran two test issues last October and in January, with rate bases of 300,000 and 400,000 copies, respectively. A multiplatform marketing campaign that included direct mail, e-mail and TV spots on the Food Network led to a 70% sell-through of the first test issue, encouraging an official launch.
 

OK! looks to Web partners to grow brand

OK! magazine has partnered with online content company Buzz Media in an effort to grow its audience and extend brand recognition. The weekly had a total average paid and verified circulation of 909,884 as of December 31, but reached only 195,000 unique site visitors in March, according to ComScore.
 

Women's Cycling, a new pub, to launch

Women's Cycling, a new magazine focused on women's bicycle racing and leisure riding, will launch as a subscription-only title at the end of June. Three issues, printing at 15,000-20,000 copies each, are planned for 2009. The idea is to publish 12 issues a year by the summer Olympics in 2012.
 

Questex switches to integrated auditing

Business-to-business publisher Questex Media has switched auditing companies in an effort to better represent its audience across multiple media. Questex has cancelled its BPA membership and is now working with Verified Audit Circulation.
 

FT teams with Philips for new health content

The Financial Times has teamed up with health and well-being company Philips to launch a new content series in print and online. Part of a global brand campaign for Philips, the Financial Times' Health series is also an entrée into a new niche market for the business-focused FT.
 

Marriott changes, reduces newspaper distribution

Marriott International will no longer deliver free, unrequested newspapers to all of its guest rooms. In a move that will affect circulation plans for newspaper partners like USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and local papers nationwide, the hotel chain is shifting to a delivery system based on customer request.
 

Forbes targets women with new mag, Web site

Forbes has revamped its ForbesLife Executive Woman brand, renaming the magazine ForbesWoman and beefing up its digital components. The magazine is a quarterly, and the first issue will appear May 11, with two more issues coming out in 2009.
 

CPC says custom publishing more powerful than ever

A new study from Roper Public Affairs and the Custom Publishing Council (CPC) reports that custom magazines and other custom media have increased in popularity and influence since 2005. According to the study, conducted via telephone with 1000 adult Americans in February-March 2009, 70% of respondents said they liked custom publications, and 59% at least occasionally page through printed custom publications.
 

Regis Salons releases custom magazine

Regis Salons has tapped Story Worldwide to custom publish a new quarterly magazine, The Hair Book. Starting Monday, April 6, 300,000 copies of The Hair Book will be distributed exclusively at Regis Salons' 1,100 North American locations. The magazine will be supplemented by a Web site, TheHairBookOnline.com, which also is slated to launch Monday. Regis Salons' core customers are fashion- and trend-conscious women.
 

Delta's Sky redesigns, extends reach

Sky magazine, the in-flight title from Delta, has tapped a new publisher, redesigned and started limited newsstand distribution. MSP Communications, which has taken over publishing duties from Pace Communications, was tapped by Delta in December 2008, but its first version of the 5.2-million-circ magazine is the April issue.
 

New magazine aimed at college students to launch in CA

University Link Magazine (ULM), a new monthly catering to college students, is slated to launch in Southern California April 10. The 12,000-circulation magazine will be first distributed only to subscribers at schools in Southern California, although the publisher (University Link Inc.) has plans to expand to another major market within two years, with the goal of eventually reaching 10 US markets.
 

Zillow.com, newspapers to launch co-branded real estate sites

Real estate Web site Zillow.com is teaming up with 180 newspapers nationwide to launch co-branded real estate Web sites. The partnership expands the scope of the Zillow Newspaper Consortium, which was formed in November 2007 with 11 major newspaper publishers. Under that earlier agreement, newspaper sales teams sell featured listings and advertising inventory on Zillow.com to local real estate advertisers.
 

Sun-Times publisher files bankruptcy but stays the course

The Sun-Times Media Group, publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and 58 other papers, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with the intention of reorganizing its operations, settling a sizeable tax liability and possibly find a new buyer. The group's top eight papers have a combined total weekday circulation of 520,761, per the ABC.
 

Newsmax turns to DRTV, radio, freebies for subs

Newsmax Media has launched direct response TV and radio ads in an effort to win over new subscribers to its flagship product, Newsmax magazine. The commercials offer four free issues of the conservative-leaning monthly, as well as a free World Bank emergency radio.
 

Hoy LA cuts print frequency

The Los Angeles edition of Spanish-language paper Hoy is cutting its print frequency from daily to weekly. Hoy, which is owned by the Tribune Co., is distributed for free in targeted ZIP codes around the city, with 75,000 copies going out Mondays - Thursdays and 145,000 on Fridays. Most readers are of Hispanic descent and are bilingual or Spanish-dominant.