As I derive a substantial part of my income working with magazines and periodicals, I take more than a passing interest in the health of the magazine publishing world.
And so I was saddened to hear of the death of Talk magazine. Although I wasn’t a regular reader, I did enjoy the magazine from afar, especially in its wacky early days when it tried to emulate a European magazine in style and format. Talk will be missed.
As for what happens to good magazines when they die, witness the Saturday Night magazine website today:
Not a pretty site. Although certainly truthful: ceci n’est pas une site web.
Comments
I am amazed how, in my daily life, magazines have not gone the way of newspapers due to the internet. We do not have a subscription to any newspaper as I can find all I need at canada.com, canoe.ca, bbc.uk.com. I do however get an increasing number of magazines in the mail monthly at work and home which I rely upon — especially along with the seed catalogues in winter — to keep up with particular interests:
Canadian Geographic — gets better and better.
National Geographic — MAPS!
Rural Delivery — a fantastic monthly out of Liverpool NS on rural life.
Brew Your Own — small quality New Hampshire homebrewers publication.
Canadian Living — what are overworked Etobicokans are having for dinner?
Chirp — toddlers version of “Owl”.
Chatelaine — shared from mom.
Vintages — you can dream of a day that the LCBO will be nationwide.
NetLife — somewhat imposed but not unuseful.
Tidings — U. of Kings College alumni mag.
Adbusters
Harvard Management Update
Lexpert
about three more legal profession mags.
The Northern Star — North Rustico monthly paper but really a gossip magazine.
I also pick-up from the newstand at different degrees of regularity:
New Yorker
Architectural Digest
Wallpaper
Shambala Sun
The Buzz
Canadian Gardening
Wired
Fast Company
Zymergy — [what I actually say when you think you hear I am supporting “more synergy”.]
Magazines I’s like to subscribe to:
Spiderman
Index on Censorship
New Yorker
Hockey News
Mags I have stopped getting:
Martha Stewart — trendy (1994), encyclopedic (1995-1997), obsessive (1998), just plain weird (since). I gave it the boot.
Harrowsmith — content quality went south when bought by large publisher. Also booted.
New Maritimes — sadly defunct leftist policy discussion publication. Greatly missed.
Observation — only one mag I really like has disappeared in a decade.