Mag Bag: 'New York' Trims Rate Base, Raises Sub Price

New YorkNew York Trims Rate Base, Raises Sub Price

New York is trimming its rate base from 425,000 to 400,000 copies per week and will also raise the price of new subscriptions by $5 to $24.97, an increase of 25%, publisher Larry Burstein announced. The moves will save money by cutting unpaid and unsold circulation, while raising circulation revenues to offset declines in advertising. 

Burstein explained: "Our magazine is valuable and worth paying for, and history has shown that our readers feel the same way. By reducing our circulation slightly and lowering our newsstand draw, we'll be able to better target our magazine to the readers who will be most engaged with the product."

The new subscription price hike will go into effect some time later this year, while the circulation cuts are scheduled for early July. Among the circulation areas being trimmed are public place copies, typically distributed to waiting rooms and lobbies--these copies are being slashed by about 20,000 to 42,000. The remainder of the circulation reduction is the result of sending fewer copies to newsstands with chronically low sales.

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Many advertisers dismiss public place circulation as "junk circ," and have responded positively in the past to publishers that trim or even eliminate it. On the other hand, a number of studies over the last few years have sought to demonstrate that public place copies are valuable circulation, with multiple readers disposed to spend substantial amounts of time with the magazines.

Hachette Auto Titles Expand Digital Partnerships

Hachette Filipacchi's big auto titles -- Car and Driver and Road & Track -- are both set to begin handling advertising sales for AutoNetTV, which delivers custom-created TV content to a network of about 6,000 automotive service center waiting rooms, including affiliates like Valvoline, Meineke and Big O Tires.

For its part, AutoNetTV's custom content covers important aspects of auto maintenance and safety, reaching customers at the point of sale in a (relatively) captive environment. Also this week, Road & Track announced the launch of a new multipart feature, "5-to-Drive," in partnership with Yahoo. Each segment in the 10-part series will review five cars chosen around a specific theme; the first three address convertibles, affordable luxury and family-friendly fun.

East West Returns

After going on hiatus in April 2008, East West magazine is returning to publishing, with its new Web site going live on June 8, and the print magazine due to be resurrected in September. East West launched in 2003 as a lifestyle magazine covering the experience of Asian-Americans, including South Asian-Americans -- e.g., Americans with Indian or Pakistani heritage, who find themselves straddling cultural traditions.

Anita Malik, the magazine's founder and editor, recalled: "Despite being dark for a year, our archived stories online have received growing amounts of traffic, and inquiries about subscriptions, e-newsletters and back issues never let up. When we started, the concept was ahead of its time, but not anymore."

East West will continue to observe the products, movements, challenges and victories associated with cross-cultural merging. Its editorial departments include Salty Dish (for food), At Work, Releases, Beauty Bento Box, Celeb, Icon, Wasabi Woman, Travel and My East West (a reader submitted column).

Portfolio Back On Web

The print edition of Portfolio may have gone the way of Business 2.0, but the Web site will live on in a new home, according to owner Advance Publications. The Portfolio Web site is being transferred to Bizjournals, the online division of Advance's American City Business Journals. Going forward, Portfolio's Web content will be produced by an editorial team at Bizjournals.

Missbehave Folds

On the down side this week, Missbehave is folding its Web site, following the demise of its print edition earlier this year. The fashion mag for female hipsters was founded in 2006 by the publishers of Mass Appeal, a men's "sneaker culture" title, now also defunct.

Hachette Promotes Weisgerber to VP, Integrated Sales

John Weisgerber, previously Hachette Filipacchi's vice president and director of digital advertising, has been promoted to a new role as vice president for integrated sales and marketing, which also includes responsibility for corporate research and special marketing.

In this position he will lead the effort to offer multiplatform print and digital campaigns for advertisers, working in coordination with the new chief brand officers appointed in March. The appointment is effectively immediately.

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