• by Erik Sass , August 5, 2010

Yankee Turns 75

One of the nation's oldest regional magazines, Yankee, is celebrating its 75th birthday this September with a special issue, set to hit newsstands August 24. The anniversary issue will look back at decades of coverage of all things New England -- especially travel, homes and food.

With a readership of about 2 million, Yankee has chugged along for three quarters of a century, weathering huge shifts in technology, society and mass culture, not to mention a number of economic downturns.

It was founded in September 1935 (the depths of the Great Depression) by Robb Sagendorph, who said his goal was "the expression and perhaps, indirectly, the preservation" of New England's distinctive regional culture. That culture, a product of several waves of settlement by English, Dutch, and Irish immigrants, began with the founding of Plymouth by the Pilgrims in 1620.

The origins of the word "Yankee" itself are debated; one explanation says it comes from Janneke, or "Little Johnny," a Dutch nickname for American colonists. In any event, the nickname became a proud badge of identity for New Englanders of all origins, with their reputation for being sensible, hardy and frugal.

They were also more literate than other Americans, on average, and 1792 saw the debut of the country's oldest continuously published periodical -- The Old Farmer's Almanac, which today is also owned by Yankee Publishing.

Based in Dublin, New Hampshire, where it employs about 50 people, YPI is still family-owned and independent. In addition to Yankee and The Old Farmer's Almanac, it also produces branded books and special issues, including photo journeys and cookbooks. (The next one to hit the stands is a "bookazine" titled "Yankee's Best New England Recipes," due out Oct. 5.)

Moore Leaves Time Inc.'s Top Spot, Griffin Moves In

Ann Moore is leaving her position as CEO of Time Inc., and will be replaced by Jack Griffin, who announced his resignation as CEO of women's publisher Meredith Corp. earlier this week. No reason was given for Moore's departure, although she had talked about retiring at various times.

She was at the helm of Time Inc. through the worst advertising downturn for consumer magazines in recent memory: from 2006-2009. Total ad pages fell 38% at Time, from 2,311 to 1,447, 50% at Fortune, from 3,070 to 1,524, and 21% at Sports Illustrated, from 2,032 to 1,596.

However, the business seems to be stabilizing as Moore prepares to leave, indicating that she may have wanted to exit on a sounder financial footing. Per Time Warner, the Time Inc. publishing division saw ad revenues increase 4% in the second quarter.

Kalmbach Buys Discover Media

Kalmbach Publishing, which owns 16 enthusiast and special-interest titles, said it has purchased Discover Media LLC, which publishes science and tech title Discover and its Web site, www. DiscoverMagazine.com. Discover's coverage of medicine, biology, physics, astronomy and space exploration make it a natural fit with Kalmbach's other holdings, including Astronomy, which it's owned since 1985.

Kalmbach executives pointed to its large subscriber base, strong renewal rate, and the fact that it is one of the top-selling magazines at airport newsstands. The magazine had total revenues of $14 million and a total circulation of 700,000 in 2009. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rodale Names Salvatore EIC of Prevention

Diane Salvatore is the new editor in chief of Prevention. Previously, Salvatore was EIC of Ladies' Home Journal. She was also director of editorial operations at Hearst Magazine Division. Prevention ad pages are up 11% through the September 2010 issue (the September 2010 issue is up over 16%). The health pub currently has three well-performing iApps, with another on the way. July 28 marked the biggest day in Prevention.com site history in terms of unique visitors (435K) and page views (over 6MM).

New Scientist Goes to NeuroFocus For Cover Advice

The art of choosing appealing magazine covers just became a little more scientific. The progress comes courtesy of New Scientist, which partnered with NeuroFocus, a "neuromarketing" company, to choose a cover with the most subsconscious appeal to consumers.

NeuroFocus used high-density arrays of electroencephalographic (EEG) sensors to capture test subjects' brainwave activity, measuring and analyzing their responses to three different cover designs for the August 7 edition of New Scientist.

By monitoring brainwave activity across the full brain as subjects viewed each of the covers, and using eye-tracking technology to identify which specific parts of the cover they were looking at, NeuroFocus was able to measure immediate, subconscious reaction to the designs. scored in seven "NeuroMetrics": attention, emotional engagement, memory retention, overall effectiveness, purchase intent, novelty and awareness.