More Google fun: The NY Times runs a long story on the fascinating things you can learn from aggregating the queries Google receives. Interesting…and like so much with Google, surprisingly fun.

For the common good, stop now: Those who commit every word of this blog to memory may recall that on May 30th, I pointed to a story (that’s now a dead link) about plans for a new “George-like” magazine called Common Good. “I doubt it can succeed,” was my take then. Well, it’s still my take. Helen O’Donnell has discovered that not only can she not raise the $25 million she thinks in necessary to launch it, she’s having trouble scraping together a measly $10 million. Man, times are tough when you can’t raise $10 million to launch a magazine that will lose money forever.

subscribe

Something free for Martha? Felix Dennis, publisher of, well, you should know by now, also publishes The Week. One thing for sure, Dennis is a master promoter. Keith Kelly reports in his NY Post column that Dennis is building a list of “affluent” white-collar criminals to whom the magazine will be sent free. The list is up to 55 names but may grow higher when all the Enron folks get sent up the river. [subscribe to The Week]

A magazine by any other name: Jeff Bercovici of medialifemagazine.com explores the art of naming a magazine. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in the naming of dozens of magazines and in the process have come to realize that a good name can’t save a lousy magazine but a lousy name can kill a good one. (By the way, that’s the slogan of a new magazine I’m starting, Cliché.) Kudos to Jeff for making it all the way through a story about new magazines without quoting, well, you know.

A superfluous hat trick: I’ll end the day with yet another link to an attempt at serious discussion that fails because, in the end, the topic is really just about superfluous magazines. This time, a transcript of an NPR program, On the Media, exploring the topic of the ethnicity of models appearing on the covers of women’s fashion magazines. This transcript reminds me of an interview I heard the other evening on a BBC broadcast in which the British interviewer was attempting to get two African American professors to claim that Halle Berry was trying to act “too Black” in the current James Bond movie because in the past she had tried to be “too White.” It must have been a cultural thing because neither professor (nor I) could understand what the-the-heck the question meant, nor could they (or I) recall Halle Berry ever being too anything but beautiful.

Even more news on superfluous magazines: Profile of Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey appearing in a newspaper back home in the UK. Amusing (to me, at least) comparison of women here and there.

Speaking of superfluous magazines: If you care about such things, US-People knock-off In Touch seems to be doing well at the newsstand. It appears the world can’t get enough of J-Lo and Ben Affleck. Speaking of Ben Affleck, name one box-office hit in which he was the leading actor.

There are more where these came from: It’s been around a while, but I just discovered (thanks to Laura) this list of “America’s five most superfluous yet self-important magazines.” Very funny.

Too bad they don’t give Pulitzers for this kind of stuff: Even I, someone who devotes a weblog to magazines, can’t understand why the NY Times would assign a reporter to take an indepth look at how People Magazine nabbed a story about the winner of the Bachelor. Secret to how they did it? Cooked it up with some PR folks.

Mr. Magazine in the news: How could I have missed this? Thanks to Amy Hall for letting me know that my links to all quotes by Samir Husni would not be complete without this point to a column in today’s USA Today featuring Mr. Magazine (or, should I say, Mr. $48,000-a-year-in-Magazines). Great background on a fellow magazine wonk. The column does not mention that he was making his remarks to a meeting of the Custom Publishing Council. For more on Mr. Magazine, check out this previous e-mail from him.

Back in the good old days: Free Time Inc. magazine content on the web may be a thing of the past if the WSJ’s report of its migration to AOL-proprietary space is true. It may just be a trial balloon, but it sounds genuine to me. Boneheaded, but genuine. While I don’t have time at this point to list the dozen ways this is a bad idea, I will say only that it reminds me more of the mis-guided “Pathfinder” days than of anything smart. The article notes that subscribers of the print magazines could have free access to the online content. Perhaps, also, they could send all AOL subscribers a free subscription to their favorite print magazines.

This year’s black.

Man in Black: Advertising Age reports today that New Yorker publisher David Carey considered (but chickened out) the notion of dying his red hair a commemorative black to celebrate the magazine’s return to being in the black.” No magazine
deserves throwing an “ITB” party more than the New Yorker. Not only is it the country’s best edited magazine, those of us who watch such things also are in awe of the magazine’s sales creativity and prowess. “People have no clue,” Carey told Advertising Age, “how successful this business has become in the last three years.” As regular readers of rexblog know, some of us people do have a clue. We think the publishing & advertising sales staff of the New Yorker walks on water. I decided that earlier this year when I saw the advertising insert the magazine ran during the launch of the Mini Cooper. Such creative ideas originated by the magazine’s “suits” (at least in part, we hope) are as key to the magazine’s profitability as the brilliant articles appearing in the book. [subscribe to the New Yorker]

WWMMD? I am somewhat surprised that the DJ News Service would run a story asking the question, “do magazine redesigns have an affect on Wall Street?” without asking the opinion of Mr. Magazine.

Shirley, you jest: Wow, a new humor magazine for New Yorkers called Jest. The NY Times story about it is filled with humor like these funny lines: “no overhead,” “free,” ” supported by advertising.”

subscribe

Rexblog flashback: On June 19th I said, “Martha Stewart-branded magazines and other products are successful with an audience who don’t make their purchasing decisions based on stock market schemes or (negative) punditry.”

Today: “NEW YORK, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Shares of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO) rallied on Friday as investors warmed to the possibility the homemaking advice company could survive, no matter what the future of founder Martha Stewart.” [subscribe to Martha Stewart Living.]