Do anti-smoking ads actually make teens want to smoke? Didn’t I read this plot in a really funny book once?

NASDAQ is taking the name of Adelphia off its board. I wonder when the Titans will take the name off their board. The name may change to what, Dollar General Coliseum? Bass Pro Shops Stadium? Hooters Field?

Versace, the magazine: a “splashy glossy.”

She wants to Stop, In the Name of Love. Hey, wait, didn’t she play this part in a movie 20 years ago?

Interesting article regarding epinions.com.

While I don’t regularly link to magazine demise stories, when a 150-year-old magazine like Punch goes away (reg. req.), it’s at least worth noting.

Quote:

The circulation of Punch, a fortnightly, has slumped below 6,000 from a peak of 175,000 in the 1940’s. The publishing cost, $58,000 an issue, has become too steep, (said) Mr. Fayed,… an Egyptian who also owns Harrods department store and whose son, Dodi, died in a car crash in 1997 in Paris with Diana, Princess of Wales. (Fayed) had revived Punch four years after its first demise, in 1992.

Another reason I decided to link to a demise story is a Boston Globe report today about the possible launch of a new “George-like” magazine this fall. While I love to see new magazines launch, I doubt this one will make it. Even George, with JFK Jr. making personal pitches to twenty-something-year-old media buyers, could not coax enough money out of advertisers during advertising boom times, to make the real George work. Even JFK Jr. appearing nude couldn’t turn it around. Unless this new magazine is going to be a political-lifestyle magazine that also targets “randy” young men and features bikini-clad women and videogame reviews, I doubt it can succeed in today’s marketplace.

The WSJ reports that McDonald’s is looking for additional non-menu products to sell in their stores. I can hear the computers of a thousand columnists cranking up to attempt witty shots at this one.

If they really want to succeed as retailers, I suggest they replace each of their restaurants with a Wal-Mart.

Boston Globe’s Michael Prager gives thumbs-up reviews to Wired and Yahoo’s Internet Life magazines. Also, he gives praises the effectiveness of a promo blurb on the cover of Men’s Journal: ”Where Women Chase Men: the Single Man’s Guide to Brazil.”

The WSJ reports new data reveal that Priority Mail, despite being ten-times more expensive than first-class, is delivered slower.

Quote:

The latest post office statistics show that the typical Priority Mail shipment now takes more than half a day longer to reach its destination than first-class deliveries that cost as little as 34 cents. That compares to $3.50 for the cheapest Priority Mail shipment. And on June 30, the post office is set to raise prices for the delivery service by an average of 13.5%, depending on weight and distance. That comes on top of a double-digit increase last year.

The NY Times runs an elegant obiturary (reg. req.) of magazine diva Nancy White, 85, former editor of Harper’s Bazaar.

An article, via Lewis, from the Seattle Times.

I’ve avoided linking to a lot of recent coverage on whether or not media “convergence” is a success or failure, primarily because they attempt (and don’t succeed) to interpret the world through the failures of Vivendi and AOL-Time. However, the Economist, runs a story that is a great overview of what works and doesn’t with amassing mass media.

In short, scale is good when it comes to distribution, clout and cross-promotion (to a point). Being large is bad when it comes to creativity.

Quote:

Hollywood studios have tried to manage (the creative challenge) by allowing autonomous boutiques to flourish within their conglomerate structure, designed to nurture a more creative, less formulaic, spirit. It is a pattern that has characterised creative industries throughout their short history as mass-entertainment media. The record industry has for years been built on this model: small independent labels (such as Island Records), which are better at spotting new artists, are bought by the big guys (in its case Polygram, now part of Universal), which then begin the search for small independents again. It can work in TV too: HBO is given freedom within AOL Time Warner, for instance, to create challenging new drama, such as ?The Sopranos? and ?Six Feet Under?.

Clear Channel, the radio-concert-theatre giant, is launching a customer magazine called Show People. The magazine will be produced by Forbes Custom Publishing.

Quote (via Variety):

The 68-page premiere edition is set for a September bow, and will initially be distributed to theater patrons in 45 markets across North America with a print run of 170,000 copies. It will eventually be available on newsstands at a cover price of $3.95.

Congrats, John.

The NY Times reports a a newspaper columnist (reg. required) from NJ’s largest daily lifted (without attribution) some “facts” from a satirical column and used them as the basis to attack politically correct research. The satire research topic? How the music of Patsy Cline contributes to depression, suicide and violent behavior by women.

Before doing a dictionary search, try out Google’s “lab version” of a new feature called “glossary.” It defines the word or phrase and suggests websites where the word or concept may be explained.