An old friend of mine hasn't been doing so well. We visit every weekend, usually on Sunday, and I've noticed the gradual decline. She still shows some signs of life every now and then, reminding me of how she once was. But those moments are fleeting.
That old friend is Parade Magazine. While the readership is still there, my old friend has seen a dramatic decline over the years, slowly declining as Sunday circulation does in the newspaper business. Today, my old friend was sold as Athlon Media Group.
My hope is this can be the shot in the arm this magazine needs, and deserves. Advance Publications has owned Parade Magazine, which was distributed in over 700 newspapers across the country. Parade's timeline dates back to 1941 as The Weekly Picture Newspaper, by Marshall Field III, founder of the Chicago Sun.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-parade-magazine-gets-a-new-owner-20140917-story.html
There is still hope for Parade, with the help of Athlon who is very familiar with distributed magazines via newspaper partners. And there is hope for the Sunday newspaper magazine.
Earlier this week, I read about a new magazine launching in California with over 400,000 circulation via newspaper Sunday editions starting October 5. "California Sunday" will be a monthly magazine with newspaper distribution as well as a strong digital presence. Started by Federated Media, I think this is a very solid idea.
Parade Magazine is national, and tries to be all things to all people. A regional piece such as "California Sunday" will appeal to the desire of people to read about, learn about and do things locally. This allows for compelling local content, which will make a regional magazine more appealing to readers. This will also appeal to regional advertisers, which has the potential for a different pool of advertisers with fewer competitors. How many regional magazines are there in California with a circulation of 400,000? Very few, and certainly less competitors than Parade has on the national level.
Details on the new magazine "California Sunday" can be found at: http://www.fastcompany.com/3035713/why-this-media-start-up-is-betting-on-print-newspapers
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