Digging In...Issue #75
And here we are. If you’re north of the Mason-Dixon line, it’s probably colder than you would prefer. Out here in the flatlands it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon and the sun doesn’t rise until after 7:00 in the morning. Add that to the cold, polar air that’s filtered down from Canada and there’s no denying that Winter is here. It’s going to stay for a while. The grace we experience in December is that it’s the holiday season. Hanukkah has already started. Christmas and Kwanzaa are almost upon us.
But the new year is right around the corner and we’re going to have another three months of cold, chilly air and less daylight than we’d prefer. In a little less than forty days, people will start complaining about the folks who don’t take down their holiday lights.
Personally, I wish they’d stay up through the winter. February and March can be incredibly dreary. A little nighttime lights can brighten things up.
Which brings me to this question: In the world of magazine media, what does the New Year offer us? Honestly?
All I can say about that is that I’m still “processing". So in the meantime, here’s a few things I found to share with you:
1___Amazon to eliminate Newsstand for magazines…
Is this really that surprising? I think that in this age of specialization, one company can not necessarily be all things to all the people. Amazon jumped into books because there was an opportunity. Now they’re into everything. Some things they do reasonably well. Others, not so much. I’ve come to the conclusion after years of hard experience that you can’t be good at magazines unless you understand magazines. You have to be willing be patient and to take risks and learn what it is your audience wants from you.
I’ve had clients that have had subscriptions and Kindle editions and from the interactions I had with Amazon, I don’t think it was a vertical they were ever all that enthusiastic about investing in.
If I had to make a grave sounding “Sunday Pundit Pronouncement” about this, it would be that there are going to be some niche titles really hurt by this, but for the most part this will be just another one of the thousands of cuts the magazine business has taken over the years. It’s not a death knell. It’s just another bleeping cut.
2___Los Angeles, Pasadena and Orange Coast Magazines sold to local attorneys…
This purchase by LA attorneys follows Hour Media’s recent acquisition of Indianapolis Magazine. This will give the Detroit based media company the opportunity to focus more closely on their midwestern and south eastern titles. For the west coast magazines, it’s an opportunity to be locally owned once again.
Yes, it’s a reshuffling of the deck, but I find this reshuffling to be very interesting. Long term, local ownership of city and regional magazines seems like a good thing.
3___Drew Barrymore hands out copies of her magazine at Penn Station
Actress Drew Barrymore has her own talk show and has published books. She’s also a noted magazine enthusiast and has a deal with publisher A360 to produce a quarterly lifestyle magazine.
Last week she showed up at NYCs Penn Station to hand out copies of her latest release which is titled the “Warm Hug” edition. I think that titles that are driven and “edited” by celebrities is a pretty good idea if it’s done right. It’s an easy way for the public to gain entry to the world of magazines. Check out the photos in the article of the excited transit riders taking selfies with the actress and publisher. It’s a nice thing to see!
But just a word of caution. There’s newsstands in Penn Station. As a circulator (Now an “Old School” title) I’m painfully aware that every free copy you give away, is a lost sale. At least until the next issue. If you do it right, the public will want to buy or subscribe to the next issue. Or, they get addicted to free and well, that’s that. Here’s hoping A360 doesn’t blow this opportunity.
4___Washington Post readers respond to the loss of the Sunday Magazine
I found the responses from loyal (Well, mostly loyal) readers interesting because it shows the attachment many of them have to the newspaper’s print edition and how deeply they read the articles. I question whether the correspondent who suggested the paper rename itself “Woke Culture” was ever an actual loyal reader, unless they hate read the paper.
As a rule, I try to avoid imprinting my own experiences into these types of discussions because I am just one person. Not a trend, not a trendsetter, and while I have some expertise, my ego isn’t that big. But I will break the rule this time and point out that on the occasion that I do pick up a print newspaper, I do find that I read the articles more deeply and spend more time with them. The experience does become a combination of leisure and learning and I feel less pressure to get to the end of the article more quickly.
In fact, digital news that tells me that I can consume this article in only “5 minutes” makes me nervous. Do I even have five minutes?
How did we get to this point?
5___Introducing “Five Questions With”
Newsletters should always be newsy, interesting, pointing you to things you may not have noticed in your day to day life. But I didn’t want this newsletter to become a space where whatever I pointed out to you was something that you already knew because it was somewhere else.
So, starting next month I’m going to begin a series titled “Five Questions With.” In keeping with my “Five Things” format, I’m going to find someone in the magazine media world who I think you may be interested in hearing from, and ask them to respond to 5 questions. Initially this will be in written format. But, as I get more comfortable with Substack, it’s possible that I’ll take advantage of their podcasting abilities.
Is there someone you think I should talk to? If so, please drop me a line and let me know. I’m happy to add them to the list of potential interviewees.
Your Moment of Winter Zen
That’s all I have for you right now. If you’re working this week, I hope it’s a nice light one!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please give it a boost by clicking “Like” and then subscribe. You’ll get a brand new release in your email in-box every Tuesday (Or sometimes Wednesday if things get a little crazy around here). Sometimes I‘ll even have some “bonus” content for you.
If you’ve got a question or comment, please drop me a line. You can always reach me at joe.berger@newsstandpros.com.
Yep, I’m still on Twitter. You can find me here. For the moment.
Oddly, I got an invite to Post.News and you can find me here on this new app.
My Instagram link is here.
Every now and then I put on a suit and tie and even comb my hair. Here’s my LinkedIn profile.
So that’s all for now. We’re off until after the first of the year. Don’t forget to think about who you want me to talk to on the new “Five Questions With” feature. In the meantime, head on down to the break room and scam a few Christmas cookies. I hope there’s some left!
Happy New Year!