News: June 2011 Archives

Fast News for June 23, 2011

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Momofuku Media? Next month, the good people behind McSweeney's will bring us Lucky Peach, an iPad app AND a printed quarterly magazine. The pubs, which debut this week, feature a menu of interactive articles, recipes, interviews and videos. David Chang, founder of Momofuku, is the brains behind it all.

>> Larry Reigns: People magazine managing editor Larry Hackett has been re-elected president of the American Society of Magazine Editors this week at its annual meeting.

>> Abstract Wrap: "When the iPad came along, for designers, suddenly they had a future." That was Bloomberg BusinessWeek's Richard Turley talking about the genesis of last week's Abstract conference in Maine. Read a wrap-up of the event here.

>> From the Believe It, Or Not Files: Can't get enough of the ink + newsprint smell? The new "Times of New York" candle has "a 'newsy' scent meant to mimic the aroma of black ink on newsprint." You can pick it up at Project 8 the next time you're meeting someone at The Ace (you know you are) or online.

Fast News for June 16, 2011

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> ReadyMade Folds: As part of a spate of cost-cutting measures, Meredith Corporation has shuttered ReadyMade, the trendy DIY magazine which they purchased in 2006 from founders Shoshana Berger and Grace Hawthorne. "These actions will allow us to devote resources to key strategic growth initiatives, including digital platform expansion," said the CEO.

>> SI: Twice as Nice: Sports Illustrated will publish tablet editions twice this week. Due to the rare occurrence of 2 major sports championships in the same week (NBA's Dallas Mavericks surprising victory over the Miami Heat, and the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup win in Vancouver) -- which editor Terry McDonell referred to as "Venus and Jupiter aligning" -- the opportunity to test the limits of staff and resources appeared. He adds: "Being able to react to news [on a tablet] is something we were looking forward to being able to do."

Fast News for June 14, 2011

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> What's Cooking at Conde: Condé Nast is spending upwards of $1 million to create a huge ventilation shaft for the publishers' cafeteria (about one story high and 25 feet wide) that will extend out of the north face of the new 1 WTC tower. Not everyone is happy about it, namely the Port Authority, who originally balked at Condé's special requests -- until Chairman S.I. Newhouse, Jr. threatened to walk away from the building. The concern is that other tenants may also begin requesting additional building modifications. "Hopefully, it won't evolve into multiple acne spots all over the building's façade," said one anonymous source.

>> Enquiring Minds for Sale? The New York Post has reported that National Enquirer/Shape/Star/Men's Fitness/Muscle & Fitness parent American Media Inc. "has been shopping itself in recent months". So far no takers, the paper says, though investor Apollo Management had expressed an interest that apparently cooled because of the "[weak] state of the publishing industry". (Apollo is the parent of CKX Relations, which owns the American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance TV series, among others].)

Fast News for June 9, 2011

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Hearst Gets All App-y: Hearst unveiled its fabled App Lab to members of the press today. The plush, windowless, gadget-filled room is designed as a "think tank" for app development and advertising across the company's many brands. Advertisers can expect a lot of meetings in this room.

>> But Will They Also Sell iCigars? At its annual developers conference, Apple introduced Newsstand, a virtual set of shelves that display users' subscriptions with the latest issues of magazine titles. Also new? An app that features only magazine and newspapers titles that offer a subscription model to customers. These features will be available in iOS 5, which arrives this Fall.

>> Plum Beach Read: Plum Hamptons magazine fittingly launched during the Memorial Day weekend. The glossy covers one of the most storied summer vacation spots in America. Tailored to the exclusive community and unique atmosphere in the Hamptons, the new publication features local arts and artists, profiles of the area's famous creative talents, interviews, events, food, philanthropy, design, sports and more.

Fast News for June 2, 2011

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Tag Sale at Martha's: Martha Stewart Living (which includes the namesake magazine and TV show, as well as Everyday Food, and licensing agreements) is officially for sale. Shares of Martha Stewart Living shot up on news the company is in play, but the company still has a market value of just a shade under $280 million. At its peak, the company was worth $1.9 billion in February 2005, just before the lifestyle guru emerged from a West Virginia prison.

>> Shelter Category @ Home: The shelter magazine category, which has gone through a major pruning over the past 10 years, has found new life in the digital world. No less than 4 interior design magazines now exist online, lead by Lonny, created by staffers from the shuttered Domino magazine.

>> A Playboy Goes Mental: James Kaminsky, an industry veteran who's held top editorial slots at Playboy, Rolling Stone, Men's Journal and Maxim has been named editor-in-chief of the newest Dennis acquisition, Mental Floss, a bi-monthly compendium of factoids, listicles and esoterica.

>> Swinging the Axe at Hachette: Just a day after completing their deal to buy Hachette Filipacchi Media, Hearst has begun handing out pink slips. The expected body count should reach over 100 by year's end.