• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 15, 2010

A little over a year ago, The Christian Science Monitor, the venerable daily newspaper founded in 1908, announced it was folding its regular daily edition and switching to a weekly publication schedule as an oversized glossy. Daily reporting for breaking news would take place on the Web site, while the weekly magazine would provide the longer, more insightful analysis that made the CSM famous.

At the time, many just chalked it up to another traditional media casualty -- one in a growing procession of print newspapers slain by the Internet. Cynics could be forgiven for dismissing the idea of a revamped CSM; after all, other publishers have used the move from print to online publication to gut their editorial, and as for the magazine -- would it even be around a year later?

Well, it is -- and it's actually thriving.

After retaining most of the established readership, converting 90% of daily subscribers to the weekly edition, The Christian Science Monitor also recruited a large number of new subscribers. From a total paid circulation of 40,000 when the weekly debuted on April 12, 2009, the subscription base has grown to 77,000 today.

Readership "indexes through the roof" on education, with 80% holding a college degree and 47% holding a post-graduate degree, according to Editor in Chief John Yemma. CSM readers have a median household income of $88,000 and also travel much more frequently than the general population.

In March, the Web site attracted 5 million unique visitors, generating 14 million page views, according to traffic data from comScore. All this growth is especially impressive, considering the fairly modest promotional efforts undertaken by the publication.

As for the content in the print publication, there's clearly less in the weekly than there was in the daily edition -- a total of about 48 pages per week for the magazine, versus about 100 pages combined for the daily newspapers, per Yemma. However, it retains its traditional strengths -- especially in reporting on social issues and foreign affairs -- with eight foreign bureaus and a "long-term commitment to foreign news," says Yemma.

Looking to the future, Yemma said he hoped for "steady, organic growth in high-quality readership" both online and in print. "If we can move up steadily, from 77,000 to 100,000 to the 150,000 range, and retain those people, we'll be about the size of The Nation, the National Review -- and I can see us moving steadily to get there."

WE tv and Ladies' Home Journal Join Forces for Good

WE tv and Ladies' Home Journal have teamed for a new awards program which seeks to recognize women who volunteer for charitable causes. Nominations for the "WE Do Good Awards" are being accepted online through June 30. The awards are inspired, in part, by WE Volunteer -- a public affairs campaign launched by WE tv to encourage women to contribute 24 hours per year to worthy causes in their community -- and also by LHJ's own "Do Good" initiative, which seeks to recognize individual women and companies who participate in charitable efforts in their communities.

The "WE Do Good Awards" will give awards in three categories, with matching sponsors, including "Travelocity's Travel for Good" prize and "Women on Their Way," sponsored by Wyndham Worldwide.

TV Guide Magazine Gets Another Redesign

Still working to reinvent itself for the age of time-shifted, digital and online video viewing, TV Guide unveiled another revamp this week. The new look and format, which debuted April 15 with a cover story on "Glee," has reorganized the magazine's content by days of the week, so readers can follow their favorite programs.

The new magazine also features tips and advice for setting the DVR, watching online, catching up on Hulu, and buying episodes on iTunes. Editor in Chief Debra Birnbaum said: "The new format has been designed to enhance readers' television-watching experience, to help them navigate the increasingly fragmented television space, and to make the best decisions each night."

Mangione Returns to Maxim as CEO

Joseph Mangione has returned to Alpha Media Group, which publishes Maxim magazine, as its new CEO, replacing Paul Miller, an interim CEO who was appointed by owner Cerberus Capital Management after the previous CEO, Stephen Duggan, left the company. The appointment of Mangione -- who briefly served as CMO of Alpha in 2008 -- comes as the magazine enjoyed its first positive ad page figures in some time, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. In the first quarter, Maxim's ad pages increased 6.2% compared to the same period in 2009 -- the first increase in over a year, following six quarters of consecutive declines.