The Post-covid-19 Future
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has drastically changed our economic landscape. Job losses and hardship are part of the so-called ‘new normal’ as we struggle to win back ground lost and the billions wiped out during the past few months.
The print media are no exception and hundreds, if not thousands of people within the industry have been retrenched as magazines and newspapers have closed their doors.
Thanks to your support, at Magnum we were fortunate to keep the wheels turning. We have felt the pinch, but unlike some titles, we have managed to survive the worst and can continue to produce your magazine. However, we have had some changes forced upon us and, as you might know by now, we are down to producing eight editions per year. It has been a twomonth wait for this, the September/ October 2020 edition, to appear and the same will be true for the November/december edition (on sale 20 November 2020), the January/february 2021 edition (on sale 22 January 2021), and for the March/april 2021 edition (on sale 26 March 2021). From the May 2021 edition, Magnum will again be on sale every month to September 2021, when the same cycle will be repeated.
This does not mean that we will indefinitely publish only eight editions per year, but given the current dire economic situation, this is a necessary step to ensure the magazine’s future. Hopefully, the tide will turn and we will eventually get back to a monthly schedule, or at least manage to publish more than eight editions per year.
The fact that we remain on sale is solely thanks to you, the readers. Without your support we could not have kept the doors open, nor could we continue to do so in future. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for your support. Although you will miss out on four editions in the next year, we hope to make up for it with the magazine now back to 72 pages, filled with quality content, possibly also producing additional stand-alone Magnum publications and by regularly adding relevant material to our website for your information and entertainment.
As the abovementioned changes took place at rather short notice we could not communicate this in the August edition. We did send out an email to our subscribers and we posted an announcement on our website. To ensure that we can keep you updated on new developments please send an email to mail@manmagnum. co.za – simply write the word Newsletter in the subject line. This will keep you in the loop on the latest news and our plans. Also, you can regularly visit www.manmagnum.com to read bonus articles and watch videos of our test reports. Readers’ Market and Hunting Opportunities are also available on our website.
On a different topic: since the start of the lockdown, we have received numerous complaints from subscribers who did not get their magazines in the post. Most such problems seem to have occurred from the April 2020 edition onward. This was brought about by various Post Office hubs closing, and then, after the hard lockdown, being forced to work with reduced staff. Also, some post offices closed due to their personnel contracting Covid-19; others closed temporarily for sanitisation of the buildings. We have tried our utmost to resolve the issue as best we can, but I’m sure you can imagine our Herculean task in trying to sort out missing magazines as the various post offices opened and closed. The lockdown has also created a massive backlog with which the Post Office simply cannot cope. If your magazines are missing please email subscriptions@manmagnum.co.za or phone Michel Schoeman on 012-8089300. We will do our best to replace them from the limited stock we have available.
Notwithstanding the reduction to eight editions, current subscriptions are still valid for a full 12 editions as per the original agreement and have been extended accordingly.
Lastly, although times are tough, we’ll keep publishing the stories you want to read as we strive to provide enjoyment amid the doom and gloom. Together we’ll weather the storm and come out stronger on the other side.