Here Media's CEO Paul Colichman and GM Stephen Macias on the year for The Advocate and Out

by: Pam Spaulding

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM EST

Many of you may be wondering what has been going on with The Advocate, a publication that has been described in the news as a sinking ship, as well as OUT, both owned by Here Media. Stephen Macias, GM of Regent/Here Media separated the truth from the fiction in a discussion with Michelangelo Signorile.

Here Media CEO Paul Colichman reflected on his year at the helm of The Advocate in an open letter to readers:

Dear Valued Readers,

Fourteen months have passed since Here Media integrated the Advocate and Out brands into our company. As we are about to release our year-end issues, I thought it a good time to share our vision regarding these venerable and iconic properties.

During an economically troubled 2009, which saw the death of many important print publications, both The Advocate and Out fared significantly better advertising-wise than the industry as a whole. Together the brands will show a small profit.

Aaron Hicklin, editor in chief of Out, has used his exquisite editorial voice to make that magazine the largest and most successful gay publication in the world. In June 2008 he recommended that we hire Jon Barrett as editor in chief of The Advocate. Jon, an enormously gifted and talented individual, thinks beyond print and has supercharged the Advocate brand. The meteoric rise in traffic to Advocate.com proves this. Thanks to Jon and his extraordinary team, The Advocate now reaches more people in a single month than it previously did in an entire year.

We have added extensive new features and staff to The Advocate, including our company's first Washington correspondent, Kerry Eleveld. As those of you who frequent Advocate.com know, Kerry's dogged reporting -- especially at White House press briefings -- has helped drive the agenda this year on issues such as marriage equality and "don't ask, don't tell." Also of particular note, The Advocate launched its first-ever website exclusively for women, SheWired.com.

Here's the interview.

The letter continues below the fold.

As the owner of a television network, we realize the importance of professionally created video news content. Accordingly, we have hired and integrated several new staff members who can work cross-platform -- in print, online, and broadcast. Sadly, that meant we had to say goodbye to four valued members of The Advocate's editorial team.

The recent closures of Gourmet, Portfolio, Genre, and other magazines have shown the weaknesses of the print publication model. The rising costs of paper, printing, and postage have become a major problem. Therefore, we plan to greatly reduce these costs by jointly marketing The Advocate and Out magazines. We will fulfill Advocate subscriptions via joint delivery with Out. Advocate subscribers will continue to receive their monthly magazine along with a copy of Out at no extra charge. This move will also allow us to continue to offer Out at affordable subscription prices, either as a stand-alone title or with the choice to receive The Advocate as well. The strategy preserves our ability to deliver the same high-quality print magazines while allocating additional resources to editorial content.

We believe we must distribute content via print, online, and television in order to sustain a viable news service -- one that can afford to provide professionally written, edited, and produced stories and news packages. Our organization maintains the highest level of journalistic integrity. Here Media employees, of which there are more than 150, all believe that you deserve honesty and professionalism.

On behalf of our entire family, I thank you for your remarkable support during our first year. I invite you to visit our other sites: Out.com, OutTraveler.com, SheWired.com, HereTV.com, HIVPlusMag.com, as well as our newest acquisitions, Gay.com and PlanetOut.com. Until all Americans have full equality, we will remain The Advocate.

Sincerely,

Paul Colichman
CEO, Here Media, Inc.

A few questions for readers, since it's an open opportunity to discuss your LGBT news reading habits?

1. How many of you subscribe to The Advocate or any other print LGBT magazine?
2. How many buy one on occasion at the newsstand/store?
3. How many read online only for news, and is it LGBT outlets, blogs, etc?
4. What do you think will become of print news services -- will they be forced to go online only (the printing and distribution costs can be onerous black hole expenses for publishers)?
5. Do you think readers are willing to pay for online content? If not, how can it be self-sustaining if the ad revenue isn't there?