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US Postal NewsAMA: Don't Allow the USPS to Continue Costly Business Practices.....................................................1Book Industry NewsScholastic Reports Progress Toward Environmental Goals..................................................................2Catalog/Retail Industry NewsRetail Container Traffic to be Up 16 Percent in September ..................................................................3Walgreen August total sales, same-store sales rise .............................................................................4Wal-Mart names new senior VP sustainability......................................................................................5SuperMedia, Dex One Form Joint Online Cross-Distribution Agreement ..............................................5Survey: Hiring plans, sales outlook more optimistic this holiday season ...............................................6Direct Marketing Industry NewsDirect Marketing Spending Increase Suggests Continued Economic Rebound.....................................7Marketers to spend $1.8B on location-based advertising in 2015: study...............................................8DMA: Marketers begin to spend again .................................................................................................8Magazine Industry NewsWhatTheyThink Announces Top 5 Print CEO of the Year Award Finalists............................................9MagNet’s Cover Analyzer Gives an Early Peak at Newsstand Trends................................................10Elle to Celebrate 25th Year with iPad App .........................................................................................11Playboy Hires Advisors for Hefner Buyout Evaluation ........................................................................11People StyleWatch Hikes Rate Base, Frequency...............................................................................12Holley Leaves Yahoo for Lucky..........................................................................................................12Job 1 for Sidney Harman, 92: Succession plan..................................................................................13

ECONOMIC UPDATEGDP: 1.6% in Q2 2010 (down from 3.7% Q1 2010)

Unemployment Rate: 9.6% in August 2010 (up from 9.5% in July)

Consumer Confidence: 53.5 in August 2010 (up from 50.4 in July)

US POSTAL NEWS

AMA: Don't Allow the USPS to Continue Costly Business Practices (Magazine Publishers of America – September 3rd, 2010) Original Link: http://magazine.org/government/postal/ama-on-costly-postal-practices-2010.aspx

The Affordable Mail Alliance - a growing coalition of non-profits, Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, major trade associations, consumer groups, and citizens representing the vast majority of the mail sent in the United States - filed comments urging the Postal Regulatory Commission to help rein in the USPS's excessive costs by denying the proposed rate hike.

"The Post Office needs to reevaluate their approach," said Jerry Cerasale, Affordable Mail Alliance Spokesperson and Senior Vice President of the Direct Marketing Association. "Instead of trying to keep

September 13th, 2010

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things afloat with a giant tax on consumers, the USPS should focus on improving management and controlling costs to get out of this mess. To do otherwise is just bad business."

This is the Alliance's final legal step before the PRC announces their decision on October 4.

The comments also highlight the Postal Service's flip-flop on the cause for their request. The USPS previously claimed that such a severe rate increase was needed to alleviate an immediate and unforeseen cash crisis. But at the public hearing held on August 10, a top official admitted that the "crisis" would not prevent them from operating in their current fashion for at least the next year. The Postal Service now claims that the rate increase is needed to prevent a longer-term profit slowdown over the next decade.

"Our comments make the same case that businesses and working families are making all over the country," said Cerasale. "The Postal Service's proposed rate hike is unreasonable, unhelpful, and unlawful, and the more than one thousand members of the Alliance are not going to let the Postal Service take advantage of its customers."

The comments reiterate what the Alliance has argued all along - that the Postal Service has failed to show that it would suffer from its projected losses if it followed "best practices of honest, efficient and economical management," and has failed to meet the "extraordinary or exceptional" circumstance test of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The increase thus should be rejected, especially at this time of economic uncertainty for America.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a key author of the 2006 law, has supported the Alliance's position. In her statement following the Postal Regulatory Commission hearings, Senator Collins said that the law beingcited by the Post Office was intended for use in circumstances such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. The Post Office's "failure to sufficiently update its business model," she said, was not sufficient for special consideration.

Formed in response to the US Postal Service's July 6th announcement that it would seek to raise rates far beyond those currently allowed by law, the Affordable Mail Alliance grew from a small group of concerned USPS customers to a membership of over a thousand in less than two months. The Alliance has been gaining momentum in the wake of recent Postal Regulatory Commission Hearings, and this most recent action provides a strong argument to the PRC in advance of its coming decision on the issue.

BOOK INDUSTRY NEWS

Scholastic Reports Progress Toward Environmental Goals(Book Business – September 10th, 2010) Original Link: http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/scholastic-reports-progress-toward-environmentalgoals/1#utm_source=bookbusinessmag.com&utm_medium=home_page&utm_campaign=today-in-book-publishing-tab

Scholastic announced that it has made continued progress toward its companywide goal of strengthening its sustainable paper procurement practices and increasing the percentage of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled paper it purchases. In January 2008, Scholastic announced goals for 2012 to increase its purchase of FSC-certified paper for its publications to 30 percent and its use of recycled paper to 25 percent, of which 75 percent would be PCW.

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Due to a reduction in the amount of paper purchased in 2009, combined with the loss of an FSC supplier, the amount of FSC-certified paper was slightly reduced from 2008. Scholastic found tonnage to replace the lost source this year, and anticipates a steady improvement in the coming year."Even through challenging economic times, Scholastic has been a champion of forest stewardship," says Corey Brinkema , president of FSC-US. "The results for 2009 and the development of new sources of FSC-certified paper demonstrate their continued industry leadership in tapping FSC-certified sources."

In 2009, Scholastic purchased 70,279.2 tons of paper, of which 12,121 tons, or 17.25 percent, was FSC-certified, up from 3.6 percent in 2007. In addition, 13,920 tons, or 19.8 percent, of the paper purchased was produced from recovered fiber, up from 13.5 percent in 2007. Of that amount, 11,078 tons, or 79.6 percent, was produced from PCW fiber, up from 80.7 percent in 2007.

"Scholastic continues to be at the forefront of environmental performance in this industry," says Tyson Miller, director of Green Press Initiative. "Beyond their efforts to continually improve their book manufacturing-related goals, they are also tackling the challenge of eliminating Endangered Forest fiber from the supply chain and contributing greatly to industry innovation in many other areas."

"In our second year of work toward our paper procurement goals, we continued to make progress and position ourselves as an industry leader in environmentally responsible practices," says Maureen O'Connell, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer of Scholastic. "We are well on our way to achieving the goal we aim for in 2012, and we anticipate that 2010 will bring us even closer to it."

CATALOG/RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Retail Container Traffic to be Up 16 Percent in September(National Retail Federation – September 7th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=998

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 16 percent in September over the same month last year, but 2010 has already hit its peak and numbers will decline through the remainder of the year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“Retailers have stocked up early on much of their holiday merchandise in order to avoid some of the supply chain disruptions seen earlier in the year,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Cargo is still coming in, but the key question for sales will be what happens with employment and other factors that affect consumer confidence this fall. Retailers are hoping they’ve hit the right balance of supply and demand.”

U.S. ports handled 1.38 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units in July, the latest month for which actual numbers are available. That was up 5 percent from June and 25 percent from July 2009. It was the eighth month in a row to show a year-over-year improvement after December broke a 28-month streak of year-over-year declines. One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent.

August was estimated at 1.35 million TEU, a 17 percent increase over last year. September is forecast at 1.32 million TEU, up 16 percent from last year; October at 1.3 million TEU, up 9 percent; November at 1.2

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million TEU, up 11 percent; and December at 1.11 million TEU, up 2 percent. January 2011 is forecast at 1.06 million TEU, down 2 percent from January 2010.

The first half of 2010 was estimated at 6.9 million TEU, up 17 percent from the same period last year. The full year is forecast at 14.5 million TEU, which would be up 15 percent from the 12.7 million TEU in 2009, which was the lowest since the 12.5 million TEU reported in 2003. The 2010 number remains below the 15.2 million TEU seen in 2008 and the peak of 16.5 million TEU seen in 2007.

While October is the traditional peak month of the annual shipping season as retailers bring in merchandise for the holiday season, July’s figures appear likely to stand as the peak for 2010. The shift was mostly due to backlogs built up due to the lack of shipping capacity earlier in the year after ship owners took vessels out of service during the recession.

“There is sufficient evidence to suggest that importers anticipated the peak season and bought early, partly as a result of a fear of lack of capacity and containers but also as a means to avoid the hefty peak season surcharges announced by all the carriers,” Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said. “We remain cautious about growth over the next 12 months. The good news is that the influx of new capacity will continue to put downward pressure on freight rates.”

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by the consulting firm Hackett Associates, covers the U.S. ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.

As the world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. In the United States, NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2009 sales of $2.3 trillion.

Hackett Associates provides expert consulting, research and advisory services to the international maritime industry, government agencies and international institutions.

Walgreen August total sales, same-store sales rise(Retailing Today – September 3rd, 2010)Original Link: http://www.retailingtoday.com/story.aspx?section=General&id=150933

Walgreen Co. reported Friday that total sales for the month of August rose 8.6%, to $5.66 billion.Same-store-sales rose 2.1%, just missing Wall Street estimates.

Front-end same-store sales edged up just under 1%, while total front-end sales rose 8.3%. Pharmacy same-store sales rose 2.9%, while total pharmacy sales rose 8.6%.

The drugstore retailer said a calendar day shift positively impacted the August results.

For Walgreen's fourth quarter, which ended Aug. 31, total sales rose 7.6% to $16.89 billion. Same-store sales rose 1.5 %. For the full fiscal year, total sales rose 6.5% to $67.44 billion, while same-store sales rose 1.6%.

Walgreen opened 27 stores and closed eight in August. At the end of the month it ran 8,053 drug stores nationwide.

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Wal-Mart names new senior VP sustainability (Retailing Today – September 8th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.retailingtoday.com/story.aspx?section=General&id=151351

Andrea Thomas has been named Wal-Mart’s new senior VP sustainability. Matt Kistler, current senior VP sustainability, will be transitioning into a new role as senior VP marketing on the Walmart U.S. team.

Thomas currently serves as senior VP global merchandising center, for the home, hardlines and entertainment businesses. In the position, she has been heavily involved in supply chain, product development and brand marketing -- all of which are key elements of Wal-Mart’s sustainability push.

SuperMedia, Dex One Form Joint Online Cross-Distribution Agreement(Yellow Pages and Directory Report – September 9th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.yellowpagesanddirectoryreport.com/content/supermedia-dex-one-form-joint-online-cross-distribution-agreement

SuperMedia (Dallas) and Dex One (Cary, NC) have formed a joint venture to create cross-distribution among its Web sites—superpages.com and dexknows.com—for advertisers, according to a joint announcement from both companies. Advertisers’ business profiles and other content will appear on both Web sites but SuperMedia and Dex One will sell their advertising products separately.

While the agreement is expected to provide benefits to both advertisers and consumers, Dex One advertisers will not be covered under SuperMedia’s SuperGuarantee, the announcement said.

Combined online revenue for SuperMedia and Dex One declined 5% in 2009 to $329.3 million compared to $346.7 in 2008, according to estimates from Simba Information. Simba is the publisher of YP&DR.

SuperMedia is the larger of the two online operations accounting for $283 million in revenue in 2009 with Dex One at $46.3 million. Traffic has remained flat for both companies at 5 billion annual searches for SuperMedia and 150 million annual searches for Dex One, according to Simba estimates.

“Our partnership with Superpages enhances our position as the single source provider of local marketing solutions to small and medium sized businesses,” said Dex One’s senior vice president of interactive Sean Greene in a prepared statement. “This agreement improves DexKnows’ consumer experience by providing additional content to help them find the local businesses that provide the produces and services they seek.”

“Clients think of our Superpages Network as their one stop shop for providing quality leads,” said SuperMedia’s chief marketing officer Sandra Crawford Williamson in a prepared statement. “They benefit from our award-winning SuperGuarantee program and the increased reach their advertisements receive through our agreements with companies like Dex One.”

Cooperative agreements have been rare between RBOCs since the breakup of AT&T in 1984 with the exception of the AT&T (then SBC) and BellSouth joint venture in 2004 when the companies combined forces to acquire online publisher Yellowpages.com for $98 million. The companies merged respective

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Web sites under the new URL in 2005, combining information from AT&T, BellSouth and Yellowpages.com with third-party data to become a coast-to-coast Internet operation.

AT&T Communications acquired BellSouth Corp. in late 2006 for $67.1 billion and merged the yellow pages publishing operations—AT&T Yellow Pages and BellSouth Advertising & Publishing—into one operation, changing the name to AT&T Advertising & Publishing and then AT&T Advertising Solutions. Simba estimates the price of the directory division accounted for $13 billion of the sale.

Survey: Hiring plans, sales outlook more optimistic this holiday season (Retailing Today – September 9th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.retailingtoday.com/story.aspx?section=General&id=151623

A survey released Thursday by global management consultancy Hay Group found that 64% of retailers expect holiday sales will increase over 2009, a vastly brighter picture than last year when only 28% planned for a sales increase.

The outlook for retail seasonal job applicants is also brighter, with 83% of retailers planning to hire more or about the same number of workers when compared with the 2009 holiday season.

However, the job market remains competitive. Forty-three percent of respondents expect to see more applicants this holiday season than in 2009, although that is a drop from 62% that saw more applicants last year than in 2008. Only 17% of retailers plan to reduce their staffing levels, a notable decrease from 40% in 2009.

“Retailers are more optimistic than last year headed into the 2010 holiday season. For job applicants, it means additional opportunities to make a pass, but they’re still throwing the football into heavy coverage,” said Craig Rowley, VP and global practice leader for Hay Group’s retail practice.

Hay Group’s survey, in its fourth year, analyzed responses from 20 major U.S. retailers including J.C. Penney, Abercrombie & Fitch and Pier 1 in order to understand retailers’ plans for the 2010 holiday season.

Among the other highlights from the September 2010 Hay Group retail survey, 61% of retailers plan to hire the same amount of seasonal workers this year as in 2009, and 22% plan to hire five to 15% more workers. While 63% indicate that the ratio of permanent to seasonal store employees is about the same as last year, 26% note that they plan to hire fewer seasonal and more permanent staff this holiday season. Only 25% of respondents pay seasonal workers less than permanent staff, down from 33% in 2009.

When asked how they were affected by the recent slowdown in sales, only 17% of retailers noted that they hired fewer employees throughout the year. However, 13% of respondents said that they are delaying decisions about holiday staffing until closer to the holidays.

No respondents indicated that they expected sales to decrease from last year, a dramatic change from the 36% who predicted a decrease in 2009. More than one-third (35%) of retailers predict sales will increase by as much as six to 15%.

While 26% of respondents plan to run more promotions and deeper discounts than last year, 50% plan to spread out their promotions over the season and 22% plan to start early, up from just 4% in 2009. Retailers are also continuing to downplay the importance of Black Friday promotions this year -- only 22% are running the most promotions on Black Friday compared to 2009 (35%) and 2008 (45%).

“Ultimately retailers are still planning to accommodate the recession-battered consumer, with discounts and promotions running longer throughout the season than last year,” said Rowley. “But while the consumer

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may be more apt to spend, given retailers’ strict inventory management, the early bird is most likely to get the worm.”

DIRECT MARKETING INDUSTRY NEWS

Direct Marketing Spending Increase Suggests Continued Economic Rebound(Printing Impressions – September 6th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.piworld.com/article/direct-marketing-spending-increase-suggests-continued-economic-rebound/1

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) today released its Quarterly Business Review (QBR) for the second quarter of 2010. DMA partnered with Winterberry Group, a leading strategic management consulting firm that helps advertising and marketing companies build shareholder value, on this report.

For the second consecutive quarter, direct and digital marketers reported improvements across virtually all key performance indicators during Q2 2010. These gains, for marketers and service providers alike, suggest a strengthening rebound. Marketers appear more optimistic about their future profitability, as their focus continues to shift steadily to digital channels including online display advertising, search, email, mobile, and other digital media.

"This report highlighted some positive and important information for all of us," said Yoram Wurmser, director of research for DMA. "Since the recession in 2008, marketers have been able to maintain profits mostly by vigilantly cutting costs. Marketers in Q2 finally have enough faith in their future profitability to start spending again, albeit cautiously. The rise of spending suggests the economic rebound that started in late 2009 has continued steadily. This spending is due in large measure by improved data analytics and confidence in new media channels, two factors that will be instrumental in future success and an economic recovery."

"Given the sluggish pace at which the broader economy has rebounded, it's certainly a good sign to see the direct and digital marketing community reporting two consecutive quarters of positive growth," added Jonathan Margulies, a director at Winterberry Group. "It's now clear that the digital revolution—driven by the maturation of online marketing channels such as search, display advertising and e-mail—is leading the recovery effort. We absolutely expect to see more marketer emphasis on data, technology and other critical 'digital drivers' in subsequent periods."

Some key findings include:

• Channel specific return on investment sustained its growth from last quarter across all direct and digital channels.

• As in previous quarters, digital marketing channels continue to command the lion's share of new marketing investment — with the email; social; search; mobile; and online display approaches joining thedirect mail (non-catalog) and teleservices channel among those that grew in adoption versus both Q1 and the SQLY.

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• Marketers cited improved data analytics tools and processes as the leading driver of new or expanded direct/digital marketing activity.

• Both marketers (53 percent) and suppliers (53.6 percent) noted that second-quarter profitability improved (in the aggregate) versus the previous quarter and SQLY.

Marketers to spend $1.8B on location-based advertising in 2015: study(DM News – September 3rd, 2010)Original Link: http://www.dmnews.com/marketers-to-spend-18b-on-location-based-advertising-in-2015-study/article/178232/

Marketers will spend $1.8 billion on location-based advertising in 2015, a huge increase from the $42.8 million expected to be spent this year, according to ABI Research.

“For a number of companies, especially ones with physical stores, the value in knowing a prospect's location is the opportunity to drive that person to a store, and thus increase foot traffic,” said Neil Strother, research analyst at ABI Research, adding that the industry is now “seeing the first shoots” of location-based advertising being commercialized. “Once in store, the retailer has a high probability of converting that visit into a sale, which is the ultimate objective.”

Marketers' options in the location-based advertising space are also becoming more clearly defined. For instance, mobile shoppers have “check-in” services available to them through platforms such as Loopt, Gowalla, Foursquare and now Facebook with its “Places” page for consumers who opt in and “self-identify.”The company conducted its research in July and August among location-based mobile vendors.

“There is a value exchange between marketers and consumers that goes along with location-based advertising,” said Strother. The consumer is asked to share his location via phone in exchange for something of value from the marketer, which could be information about a nearby store, a coupon or a special offer, he explained.

The report indicated that analyzing customers' mobile and location habits is a good strategy for marketers taking on location-based advertising. Companies should also determine which platforms are best for a particular brand, the report said.

The study also noted that a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi and Cell-D — the three technologies that enable location-based ads — will contribute to the most successful campaigns, depending on the product, service, region, consumers and location accuracy required.

DMA: Marketers begin to spend again (DM News – September 7th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.dmnews.com/dma-marketers-begin-to-spend-again/article/178421/

Direct marketers are beginning to invest again after weathering the recession by cutting costs, according to figures from the Direct Marketing Association. Digital media investment is leading the way, according to the organization.

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The DMA's latest quarterly business review shows direct marketers and their suppliers reported improvement across all their performance markers during the second quarter, a sign that the economic rebound is picking up strength and marketers are more confident in their spending.

The group asked marketers to rate on a five-point scale how their spending had changed during the quarter, with a five representing a significant increase. The average for the second quarter was 3.3, showing strong growth over the previous quarter and the second quarter of last year, said Yoram Wurmser, acting head of research for the DMA.

Wurmser noted that more than 40% of respondents said they will increase spending in the third quarter. However, Wurmser also noted that the poll of 532 marketers and suppliers was taken during the month of July, and August economic indicators were disappointing. Yet the overall trend appears to be improving, he said.

Fifty-three percent of marketers and 53.6% of suppliers said their profitability improved in the second quarter of 2010 over the first quarter of the year and over the second quarter of last year. Among marketers, 51.2% say they expect their profitability to increase in the third quarter over the second, as do 50.3% of suppliers.

Digital marketing channels are taking in the largest share of the increased marketing spending, according to the review. When asked to rate how their spending plans had changed in the second quarter on the one-to-five-point scale, digital media held the top five spots. E-mail was first with a 3.8 on the scale, followed by social media (3.7), search (3.6), mobile (3.4) and online display ads (3.3). The marketers said improved data analytics are driving the increases, according to the study.

MAGAZINE INDUSTRY NEWS

WhatTheyThink Announces Top 5 Print CEO of the Year Award Finalists(What They Think – September 8th, 2010)Original Link: http://whattheythink.com/news/index.cfm?id=46284

WhatTheyThink.com today announced that it received a total of 30 nominations for the first annual Print CEO of the Year award. A qualifying Print CEO must have been in his or her position for at least two years and have demonstrated inspirational and innovative leadership of a printing company that has shown success during his or her tenure. Success is measured by metrics such as revenue or profit growth, corporate transformation initiatives and/or environmental leadership, or other qualifications the nominator deems important. Awards will be presented at the second annual Print CEO Forum scheduled for October 2nd and 3rd in Chicago.

“We assembled a panel of 10 industry experts to narrow the list down to the top five,” said Randy Davidson, President of WhatTheyThink. “Hundreds of Print CEOs from around the globe will be invited to submit their votes to determine who will be named the Print CEO of the Year. All five finalists will receive a unique award crafted by a talented artist. It was a tough choice for our industry experts since all 30 nominees were highly qualified. Our congratulations to all 30 nominees, and especially to the final five.”

The five finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

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Joe Davis, Consolidated Graphics, Houston, TX

Robert Keane, Vistaprint, Lexington, MA

John Lacagnina, ColorCentric Corp., Rochester, NY

Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics, Sussex, WI

Adam Slutsky, Mimeo, New York, NY

Awards will be presented to the four finalists and the CEO of the Year at a dinner on October 2nd during the second annual Print CEO Forum, being held at Chicago’s prestigious University Club and sponsored by manroland. “It is our hope that all five finalists will be present at this printer-only event to partake in the learning experience, to share their expertise during the conference, and to accept the awards in person,” added Davidson.

“While the Print CEO Forum is a printer-only event and the CEO of the Year award is being judged by Print CEO peers,” said Davidson, “we are pleased that manroland has agreed to be our sponsor this year, allowing us to grow this exclusive event, add the awards, and make it even more valuable to attendees than last year. We are also very pleased that the suppliers to the industry are supporting this effort by nominating candidates for the award.”

MagNet’s Cover Analyzer Gives an Early Peak at Newsstand Trends (Folio – September 9th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.foliomag.com/2010/magnet-s-cover-analyzer-gives-early-peak-newsstand-trends

It’s the riches of our digital life that are being offered up to us, this time through the MagNet data system.Of course, most of us are getting great feedback from our readers from our online cover surveys. In some cases the readers help sway a decision: the close-up or the distance shot for the cover image? The quirky human interest article or the solid investigative piece as the lead? The starburst or the banner?

It’s a wonderful world of reader participation and interactivity. But no doubt about it, the best way to assess the impact of a cover is still through its newsstand sales.

And the best time to assess that impact is, of course, as soon as possible. Things change fast in this business, and an early warning is a good thing. That’s why I was so pleased when Gil Brechtel asked me if I wanted to take a look at MagNet’s Cover Analyzer and its companion POS flow and comment on what I see. We’re all pretty familiar with MagNet’s data stream—it’s allowed us, in recent years, to see exactly how many copies we sell in every single retail outlet, with data that is updated daily in the Web portal.

That’s information that hadn’t been readily available on a national basis for many years, to the frustration of publishers everywhere. The Cover Analyzer and POS piece allow us to see how well a cover does its job—to excite interest, and sales, for the publication.

In keeping with the season, I thought I’d start with a look at the fall fashion publications. They always stir up some excitement at this time of year, and I’d heard that these all-important September issues showed increases in ad pages, per Min Boxscores (and Hallelujah for that): W up 31 percent, Vogue up 24 percent and InStyle up 16 percent.

InStyle’s September issue is 600 pages of fall fashion—a heady promise! And according to MagNet’s POS it has sold over 44,000 copies in the first two weeks on sale in the retailers tracked for reporting purposes.

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This is less than its 2009 anniversary issue, which sold 48,000 copies in those same retailers at that same point—but as we circulators know, that was long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Vogue’s fall issue tops InStyle with over 700 pages of fall fashion. On the newsstand bipad alone, MagNet’s POS tracking shows Vogue selling 32,472 copies at in the first two weeks. Again, slightly disappointing when compared with 2009’s September issue, a “mere” 500 plus pages, which sold 34,132 copies in the same retailers in the same period of time. This is still promising, compared to the previous couple of issues, which tracked at about two thirds that level in those retailers at the same day of on-sale.

W follows a similar trend, up from the softer summer issues but down from the golden days of yesteryear, and I guess that’s the story of our lives right now. These fall fashion issues are benefiting from the ad page bonanza as well as the seasonal up-tick in their category, but any rally is welcomed.

And isn’t this Cover Analyzer a nifty tool for tracking the ups and downs of our industry, its categories, and its covers?

Elle to Celebrate 25th Year with iPad App (WWD.com – September 10th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/memo-pad-gunns-mettle-elle-turns-25-3246917?navSection=media-news&toc_preselected=65#/article/media-news/fashion-memopad/memo-pad-gunns-mettle-elle-turns-25-3246917?page=2

Magazines love a good anniversary issue — think of all those extra ad dollars! — and more than a few have arbitrarily published one to generate business. But this isn’t the case with Elle, which is legitimately marking 25 years of its U.S. edition in October. As the magazine looks back at a quarter century, the month also marks a new beginning on the iPad. “The app is much more than just a rendered version,” said editor in chief Robbie Myers. The October issue will be free on the iPad for subscribers, and subsequent issues will cost $2.99 and contain all the bells and whistles found on similar applications, such as behind-the-scenes interviews and video from photo shoots.

Lauren Conrad, Amanda Seyfried, Gabourey Sidibe and Megan Fox were shot for four separate newsstand and subscription covers and inside, there is a lengthy portfolio featuring 25-year-olds, such as Anna Kendrick, Lea Michele and Meghan McCain. Also coming in October: a new book, “the Ellements of Personal Style,” and a party to celebrate it all at the Museum of Modern Art. As for the numbers that really matter: The entire effort has resulted in a 46 percent increase in ad pages, following an 18 percent rise in paging in September, to 382.

But even as Elle marks its 25th, rumors continue to proliferate the magazine’s offices are suffering from yet another attack of New York City’s latest plague — bedbugs — and had to be evacuated again. Not true, a spokeswoman said. So it appears safe to sit next to Anne Slowey and Joe Zee in the front row of the shows — but if they show up with beagles, be wary.

Playboy Hires Advisors for Hefner Buyout Evaluation(Folio – September 7th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.foliomag.com/2010/playboy-hires-advisors-hefner-buyout-evaluation

The two-person special committee that was formed recently to evaluate Playboy Enterprises founder Hugh Hefner’s offer to take the company private has retained Raine Securities LLC as its financial advisor for the process.

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In addition, Playboy has named Kaye Scholer LLP as its legal advisor, the company announced Tuesday.In July, Hefner offered to purchase all of Playboy Enterprise’s outstanding shares of Class A and Class B common stock at $5.50 per share in cash. Hefner currently owns 69.5 percent of the company’s Class A stock and 27.7 of its Class B stock.

Last month, the company appointed two members of its board of directors to head a special committee to evaluate Hefner’s offer. The two directors who make up the committee are Arnold & Porter law firm counsel Sol Rosenthal and global investor Kai-Shing Tao, who was elected to the board in May.

“The special committee reiterates prior cautions to PEI's stockholders and others considering trading in its securities that no decisions have been made by the board of directors or the special committee with respect to PEI's response to the initial Hefner proposal or whether this or any other transaction is in the best interests of PEI and it stockholders,” the company says. “There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.”

In August, PEI reported a $6.4 million net loss through the first six months of 2010, compared to a $22.4 million loss during the same period last year. The domestic magazine generated $17.3 million in revenue (down from $29.9 million during last year's period) while digital pulled in $16.5 million, down slightly from $18.2 million.

People StyleWatch Hikes Rate Base, Frequency(Min Online – September 7th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.minonline.com/news/People-StyleWatch-Hikes-Rate-Base-Frequency_15154.html

On the eve of New York Fashion Week (Sept. 9-19), People StyleWatch publisher (since February 2010) Karin Tracy announced that the magazine's 2011 rate base will increase by 50,000 to 775,000. It will be the People spin-off's fifth hike since launching with a 550,000 guarantee in Feb. 2007.

Further, Tracy is adding an issue to StyleWatch's 10-times-a-year frequency, which had been in effect since the launch. June/July, which will no longer be combined, produced 621,000 newsstand sales in 2010, according to Women's Wear Daily (Sept. 3). With an average of 310,579 subscribers in first-half 2010 roughly producing a total circulation for the issue of 931,579, the 775,000 guarantee, per WWD, is "not exactly a stretch."

StyleWatch's success comes from the People brand and from its being a mid-scale alternative to the high-end fashion magazines. The magazine has been up in ad pages since April 2009 and is on a +58% 2010-vs.-2009 clip through September.

Holley Leaves Yahoo for Lucky(Mediaweek – September 8th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/magazines-newspapers/e3i8ee6fde4efa3c4bfb5e3daf65a6df8bc?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mediaweek-Magazines-And-Newspaper+%28Mediaweek+News+-+Magazines+and+Newspaper%29

In jumping to Conde Nast’s Lucky magazine from Yahoo, Brandon Holley is reversing the course that many former print journalists have taken, herself included.

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After a longstanding magazine career, Holley was hired by Yahoo in 2007 to grow its female audience. Previously, she had been editor of Jane, an irreverent fashion magazine aimed at young women; that job ended that summer when Condé Nast folded it. Earlier, she had editing stints at Elle Girl and GQ.

In recent years, many print executives have established new careers in digital media, following audience and revenue growth to the online medium.

But Holley said she didn’t see her move to Lucky, where her predecessor and launch editor Kim France is leaving the company, as a return to print.

“I’m returning to a publishing company that’s doing print and digital,” she said. “Print is always going to be important, but I think what’s interesting is how they’ve been developing their titles in the digital space.

Her move comes in the wake of Condé Nast’s newly declared focus on growing its consumer- and technology-driven business.

Holley said she plans to take what she learned at Yahoo about women’s social interaction online and use it to pump up Lucky’s Web site.

“I want to bring women to the online experience,” she said. “I’ve had fun in seeing how women interact differently in the digital space and how technology allows them to connect in different ways. And there’s also something really exciting in fashion now. It’s become a realm where women share a lot. Lucky, more than any other magazine, can play in that intersection. And using that to inform the print is exciting.”

Tom Wallace, editorial director of Condé Nast, said Holley’s digital experience was key to her selection as editor of Lucky. He said he expected that under Holley, the magazine would be quick to launch a number of new digital initiatives.

“She knows as much as anyone about building a successful business on the Web, and we think she’ll be able to draw on that experience to enrich Lucky on multiple platforms,” he said. “Lucky’s focus on shopping makes [it] a natural for various forms of social expression. All of those things are her strong suit.”

Lucky had plenty of detractors when it launched a decade ago to criticism that it was little more than a shopping catalogue. Those naysayers were proved wrong when Lucky quickly soared in ad pages and circulation, earning it the distinction of Adweek’s Startup of the Year in 2002.

But its newsstand sales have faltered lately. In the first half of 2010, single-copy sales—which make up a percent of overall circulation but which ad buyers consider an important barometer of consumer wantedness—declined 16.8 percent to 165,179 on a total circ of 1.1 million.

Condé Nast didn’t make France available for interviews but provided the following statement: “I am exceptionally grateful to Condé Nast and [Condé parent Advance’s chairman] Si Newhouse for what has been a tremendous opportunity, and something I will remember with only fondness.”

Job 1 for Sidney Harman, 92: Succession plan(The New York Post – September 8th, 2010)Original Link: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/job_for_sidney_harman_succession_82VlCuUv11mqAFqir8rNPI

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Stereo equipment mogul Sidney Harman is already engaging in long-term succession planning even as he gets ready to finalize the purchase of Newsweek and works to find a new editor-in-chief. The deal is expected to be finalized by Sept. 30.

Harman said that "family members" are interested in owning the magazine after he is gone.

Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning editor-in-chief, officially left the Newsweek helm last week and is no longer with the magazine.

For now, the mag is being run by co-managing editors Dan Klaidman and Nissid Hajari; neither is in the running to land the top job.

"The new editor-in-chief of Newsweek has not yet been decided," said 92-year-old Harman, who said he is vetting a number of "serious and qualified candidates."

"We are under no pressure to make that choice. It is an important choice; that is why I am taking my damn good time to find the right person. The rest of my time I am spending building the team to run the magazine."

Given Harman's age, Media Ink asked if he had a 10-year plan for the magazine. "I have a pretty good sense of what happens to people as they approach 102," said Harman, "that's why I think it is so important to build a good team."

"My family is deeply committed to this, not necessarily on a day-to-day basis," he said. "But whether I am here or not, they are interested in owning the magazine."

He did not specify which "family members," but he is married to California Rep. Jane Harman. Other family members worked with him when he was running Harman Industries, the stereo equipment manufacturer.

He has already pledged that his wife would have no role in running Newsweek. A daughter, Barbara Harman, runs the Harman Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization that has doled out tens of millions to charities from Aspen to Boston and Washington, D.C.

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