I
heard some news yesterday that left me seriously upset –
The Word Magazine is closing down.
This
probably sounds a little pathetic to a lot people, but I'm feeling
something like grief. I've read every issue of the magazine since I
picked up a copy in 2004, had a subscription for the past four years,
listened to all its podcasts for the past five, and logged into its
website nearly every day. It's been part of my life and I'm going to
miss it terribly.
It's
been the regular filler for chunks of my time, anything between
fifteen minutes and two hours, when I want to flop out with something
that entertains yet stimulates me. The magazine focuses mainly on
music but also covers movies, TV, books and often strays into
technology and social issues. The podcasts have been lovely, light hearted
chunks of conversation between the staff and various figures from
music and the media. The weekly email has introduced me to lots of
entertaining snippets from the internet, and the giveaway CD lots of great music that I wouldn't otherwise have heard.
On
top of that the website has been something special. Its blog section
has allowed the readers to take over, starting their own
conversations – sometimes serious, sometimes flippant – that
often draw hundreds of comments. It's pulled off the stroke that
gets the best out of the internet, creating a community of people with
similar interests who enjoy conversing with each other. For a middle
aged bloke who doesn't do regular evenings in the pub in any more –
and I'm sure it's the same for many of its male and female readers – it's given me
the joy of jumping into fun conversations whenever I'm in the
mood. And I have been to a couple of its readers' mingles, and found
them to be lovely occasions.
No-one's
sure how much of this may continue in another form, but the magazine
has provided the focus and after one last issue it won't be with us
any more, another victim of the business model for publishers has
fallen apart. I've got every sympathy for the guys who set it up –
Mark Ellen and David Hepworth – and all the people who work with
them. They've done a great job and I hope they can earn a living
doing something similar.
It's
nothing like as bad as losing a person that you love, but I'm losing
something that I've treasured over the past few years, and it's going
to leave an ache that won't go away for a long time. That's why I
don't think there's anything silly in saying that I'm beginning to
grieve for a magazine.
I find it stupefying to believe that with a circulation of 25,000, largely from a 35 to 55 demographic with lots of spending power, it still isn't a viable concern. The emulsification of our culture continues, the content ever thinner, ever more similar and ever less interesting. Market forces are beigeing us to death. I'm grieving too.
ReplyDeleteA couple of thoughts on the business issues that come from being a long time journalist. Magazines have usually flourished/survived/died on their advertising revenue, which depends on the decisions of marketing managers, and they are increasingly reluctant to put money into advertising in print or online. It's arguable whether they are right or not and no-one knows what's going to work in the future, but it's killing off a lot of publications.
DeleteAlso, The Guardian had a stake in it, but has been losing massive amounts of money and closing down or selling off parts of its business like mad. I don't know for sure, but this could have had an influence on the decision to close The Word.
Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteI spent yesterday in a state of shock too... on the surface it's "only a magazine", but obviously it's much more than that. Still so sorry The Word's going.
I'll repeat what I wrote on David Hepworth's blog this morning:
ReplyDeleteLots of people liked The Word because not only was the magazine a very good read, but it also helped to create and encourage a community of bloggers and listeners via The Word's podcast and blogs.
The podcasts were particularly good and included nostalgic musings about music, people, changes in society, life and living. Guests popped in to chat and sometimes we got a bit of music too.
The blog is one of the most civilised and interesting blogs around. Bloggers went further, breaking out of their online world to to arrange meetings (Mingles) to get to know each other. Drinks were bought, stories were told and friendships sprung forth. Staff from the magazine attended and joined in. You can't underestimate the genuine pleasure of meeting people who have interviewed some of the musical greats or hosted a programme like 'The Old Grey Whistle Test', but who also exchanged fascinating insights into the entertainment world. Bloggers supplied reviews of albums and gigs that sometimes appeared in the magazine. The Word also laid on a series of gigs for their readers.
All this has served to personalise how people regard the magazine and those involved with it. It has created a deep loyalty within certain people because they now regard The Word as part of their lives - it has brought them new friends, it has entertained them, it has added pleasure to what started out as a subscription to a printed mag.
It sounds as if more subscriptions were needed to make the mag a viable business enterprise. The blog featured people who lost their jobs, found new jobs, or were still looking. Clearly these straightened times have led to many cancelled subscriptions or less money to spend on entertainment. The Word business model seems not to have kept pace with the changing times, but the magazine did not lose its quality or its ability to fascinate, which makes its demise all the harder to take. It certainly worked for the punters, but not to the extent that they all subscribed.
I was sitting reading The Word at home when my wife turned to me to tell me that it was closing. She was reading the BBC News on her iPad. It struck me that maybe the iPad will contribute to the demise of paper magazines and that we will only have electronic mags in future. I don't mind that, as long as they are in the same league as The Word.
I am Baskerville Old Face and a Word subscriber. Drink will now be taken!