PressEthic

Chin up fellow journalists…at least those of you interested in magazine journalism. All hope is not lost…. at least not yet.

HEARST, CONDE NAST TO LAUNCH NEW MAGAZINES Greenlight Given for 'Weekend' and 'Men’s Vogue' October 06, 2005

By Nat Ives NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a show of confidence in what’s proved to be a challenging time for publishers, two major magazine companies have given the green light to titles that launched as tests this year.

Hearst Magazines said it will publish five issues of Weekend in 2006. Weekend, a lifestyle tome that published twice in 2005, is considered by some an imitation of Time Inc.’s wildly successful Real Simple, not least because both had Susan Wyland as founding editor in chief.

Weekend will have a rate base -- the paid circulation guaranteed to advertisers -- of 300,000 and a cover price of $3.99. (Despite any resemblance between Weekend and Real Simple, the similarities do not extend to rate bases; Real Simple, established in 2000, now has a rate base of 1.8 million.)

Though online journalism is becoming more mainstream I don’t believe that print will disappear. This stand is reaffirmed every time I ride the subway. People are reading books, magazines, and newspapers on their commutes. Print journalism is portable and tactile. There is a magazine for everything under the sun including fashion, exercise, knitting, and bass fishing. There are a lot of niches out there to tap into.

I’m excited to hear that Hearst and Conde Nast are launching new magazines. These are major magazine companies who are positive and proactive. I’m eager to see if these new mags succeed.

Searching blogs with some ideas on the future of journalism I came across the following on this blog by freelance writer Matt May. The quote comes from Columbia University's school paper, the Spectator.

He was optimistic about the future of print journalism. The paper, Keller said, is always looking at ways to adapt to advances in technology and the changing consumer needs. “I trust there will always be an opportunity for serious journalism,” he added.

I know some of us are wondering if getting our MA at NYU is really worth it. Will there be jobs out there for us when we graduate? Hopefully this little article will make you feel that your decision to spend ridiculous amounts of money on grad school is worth it.