11/06/2009
CEO Colichman: Out and Advocate to be Sent to Subscribers Jointly
Here Media CEO Paul Colichman sheds some light on changes at The Advocate in a letter posted on the publication's website, revealing that The Advocate and OUT will now be sent jointly and subscribers will receive both publications:
As the owner of a television network, we realize the importance of professionally created video news content. Accordingly, we have hired and integrated several new staff members who can work cross-platform -- in print, online, and broadcast. Sadly, that meant we had to say goodbye to four valued members of The Advocate’s editorial team.
The recent closures of Gourmet, Portfolio, Genre, and other magazines have shown the weaknesses of the print publication model. The rising costs of paper, printing, and postage have become a major problem. Therefore, we plan to greatly reduce these costs by jointly marketing The Advocate and Out magazines. We will fulfill Advocate subscriptions via joint delivery with Out. Advocate subscribers will continue to receive their monthly magazine along with a copy of Out at no extra charge. This move will also allow us to continue to offer Out at affordable subscription prices, either as a stand-alone title or with the choice to receive The Advocate as well. The strategy preserves our ability to deliver the same high-quality print magazines while allocating additional resources to editorial content.
We believe we must distribute content via print, online, and television in order to sustain a viable news service -- one that can afford to provide professionally written, edited, and produced stories and news packages. Our organization maintains the highest level of journalistic integrity. Here Media employees, of which there are more than 150, all believe that you deserve honesty and professionalism.
Posted 8:46 AM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Media, Magazines, News | Permalink
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Isn't the Advocate published more frequently than Out? Does this mean they're cutting back on their production schedule?
Posted by: EricInMN | Nov 6, 2009 9:57:32 AM
They've cut Advocate to once a month already. This move seems to indicate a combination of titles in the future. I enjoy both, but have always thought of Advocate as more of a "newsy" magazine and important historically, and Out as more of a "People" for gay folks.
Posted by: Alex | Nov 6, 2009 10:36:51 AM
Good luck to them, but whatever they do it will be without me. I just tossed my subscription renewal notice in the trash.
Posted by: john | Nov 6, 2009 11:28:58 AM
They have 150 employees but only 4 were on the editorial staff for The Advocate? Wow, no wonder so many people have a problem with the quality of their content, or lack thereof.
Posted by: Donny B | Nov 6, 2009 11:32:24 AM
"Journalistic integrity" huh? Regent plays dirty, we all know it. They buy out competition to kill the competition. That's what they did with Advocate. They tried to do it to Instinct.
Posted by: Casey | Nov 6, 2009 12:23:58 PM
just as happened with genre, i, as a subscriber, received no news on this from the magazine's publisher. i have been getting more subscription offers ($8 a year?) from Out, though.
yeah, blame the outdated print business model, not your own mismanagement. way to go. sad, but i will not be renewing.
Posted by: james | Nov 6, 2009 12:44:00 PM
If the magazines will be sent out jointly, wonder what that means for those that subscribe to both? Will the subscription be extended??
Posted by: Larry | Nov 6, 2009 1:09:15 PM
Haha. Donny B, your comment made me giggle. Advocate didn't have only 4 editorial staffers. It just says 4 were cut.
Posted by: Name | Nov 6, 2009 2:12:08 PM
Just combine the two titles. Might give them a shot at having one decent publication, because clearly even they don't expect both to survive.
Sending the two mags together won't "greatly reduce" the costs of "paper, printing, and postage." Only postage, and only minimally. Who do they think they're kidding? So much for "honesty and professionalism."
Posted by: Paul R | Nov 6, 2009 4:23:12 PM
So because magazines cost so much to print and distribute, the publisher is now going to start mailing free copies of Out to Advocate subscribers? That makes perfect sense.
Posted by: John Gorman | Nov 7, 2009 5:04:38 PM