Rogers reduces production of several magazines

Sportsnet, Maclean’s, Flare and Chatelaine among those hit by media overhaul

Maclean’s news magazine, a weekly staple since the 1970s, is shifting to a monthly print schedule, as Rogers Media scales back its publishing business amid declining readership and ad sales.

Three magazines will reduce their print frequency as of January. Maclean’s will be published once a month in print and weekly online, while Chatelaine and Today’s Parent will appear in print six times a year.

Flare, Sportsnet, MoneySense and Canadian Business will be available exclusively on the web and through apps, with new content posted daily. Hello! Canada will remain a weekly print publication.

“We are going where our audiences are and doubling down on digital to grow our consumer magazine brands,” said Rick Brace, president of Rogers Media. “We have already made significant investments in creating content and making it available on digital platforms, including Texture, Sportsnet Now and Rogers NHL GameCentre Live.”

Janice Neil, chair of Ryerson’s School of Journalism, called the moves another sign of the “end of the Guttenberg era,” referring to the German publisher who is credited with introducing the printing press to Europe in the 1400s.

Although she said the digital shift is inevitable given the online reading habits of younger generations, she called it a shame for older people who are not as tech savvy. Neil also noted that Maclean’s, a venerable publication with a loyal print readership, is being scaled back in frequency while showbiz magazine Hello! Canada will remain in weekly print.

“I guess it’s just the new world order,” she said.

Rogers Media, a unit of Torontobased Rogers Communications, said it will focus on its English-language consumer brands in five content ar- eas: entertainment, lifestyle, parenting, sports, and news and current affairs. The media unit said in a statement that its Texture bundled-magazine digital service will match the print schedules, except for Maclean’s, which will run weekly.

Rogers also said it will divest itself of all business-to-business publications, along with French-language titles Châtelaine, Loulou and L’actualité.

“Recognizing these are storied brands that require dedicated attention to best serve the distinct French market, the company is going through a thoughtful process to find strong new ownership,” the Rogers statement said.

It pointed out the company has committed more than $35 million in capital and marketing spending to create and promote digital content and transition the business to a digital-first infrastructure.

“It’s been clear for some time now that Canadians are moving from print to digital, and our job is to keep pace with the changes our audiences are demanding,” said Steve Maich, senior vice-president of digital content and publishing at Rogers Media.

“We are so much more than a collection of magazine brands and we’ve seen rapid growth on our digital platforms over the past few years.”

He would not specify impacts on print-production and editorial staff, but suggested that editorial cuts would be minimal, as writers, editors and visual journalists continue to pivot to online platforms.

Maich added that Rogers believes it has struck the right balance between digital and print, noting that its publishing arm has seen a 30-per-cent plunge in print ad revenue compared to a year ago.

One of Canada’s largest telecom and media companies, Rogers is focused on reducing debt after suspending an expected dividend increase amid a pullback in conventional cable TV, as viewers move to online streaming. On Monday, Rogers announced it will shut down its video streaming on-demand service Shomi at the end of November.