Miller Magazines, Inc. Changes Name to JMiller Media

Ventura, Calif.—Miller Magazines, Inc. announced today that effective July 1, it will be known as JMiller Media.

The name change reflects the company’s desire to shift its focus to emerging markets while honoring its connection to traditional publishing, according to Thomas Trimbach, JMiller Media’s general manager.

“We can reflect with pride on how our 47 years in publishing have evolved to meet the different needs of our audiences. Our print titles are now complemented by online media and a strong Web presence. And while print publishing remains at our core, it is only part of our offering. Our new company name reflects our new direction and structure.”

Founded in 1962 by Jim and Jill Miller, JMiller Media is the independent publisher of three hobby publications: Digital Photographer, Rock & Gem and COINage and is located in Ventura, California.

For Immediate Release: March 7, 2009
Contact: Jane Silbering, Executive Director, Western Publishing Association
Tel: 805-495-1863

WPA ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR 2009 MAGGIE AWARDS,
LARGEST PUBLISHING AWARDS IN WESTERN US

Download PDF version of Press Release

Los Angeles, CA, USA (March 7, 2009): The Western Publishing Association (WPA) has announced the finalists for the 58th Maggie Awards, 2009. The award honors the best in magazine publishing in the western United States, over the past year and is considered to be the most prestigious award in the industry.

The Maggies, also known as “the Oscars of the magazine industry” honors excellence in over 100 categories in editorial, design and promotion. The entries are split between consumer and trade magazines. This year’s finalists run the gamut of publishing titles, including: Emmy, Sunset, Nails, 944, American Way, Oracle, Macworld, Fit Pregnancy, and Edutopia among many others. Approximately 100 judges, drawn from experts in all areas of the publishing industry, deliberated for three days over the entries.

58th Annual Maggie Awards Banquet

A total of 78 Maggies will be handed out at the upcoming awards banquet on April 24, 2009, held at the Westin Hotel at Los Angeles Airport. Winners are announced in each category. Over 500 publishing professionals are expected to attend this black-tie affair. Seating reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

The full list of Maggie Awards finalists and categories is available online here. Previous years’ winners are also listed.

About the Western Publishing Association (WPA)
The WPA has represented media publishers and related companies for over 58 years. Serving those publications west of the Mississippi, we are committed to responding to the challenges and opportunities facing our ever-changing industry, today and in the future. The mission of the WPA is to provide vital, up-to-date, information and education to improve your personal skills, your day-to-day operations and help you plan for your future.

December 18, 2008

BUCKING TRENDS, INSURANCE JOURNAL REPORTS AD RENEWALS UP

While news from many print publishers these days is bleak, Wells Publishing, publisher of Insurance Journal, is reporting that its advertising renewals are way up over last year at this same time.

According to Mitch Dunford, Wells Publishing CEO, advertising dollars booked for Insurance Journal magazine for the first quarter 2009 are up 23 percent over what they were at this time last year for the first quarter 2008.

Insurance Journal, a biweekly magazine for property/casualty insurance agents and brokers, is the flagship publication of Wells Publishing. It is mailed to more than 42,000 businesses across the country—all independent insurance agencies.

Julie Tinney, vice president of sales and marketing for the b2b publisher, thinks she knows why early sales are up among the company’s core group of insurance company and wholesale broker advertisers.

“We serve an industry that is accustomed to its own cycles. Our advertisers know the importance of marketing through both hard and soft property/casualty insurance markets,” she said. “We of course spend time reinforcing that message. So now that the concern is the downturn in the broader economy, our customers get it. They know about sticking with advertising through the cycles and even boosting it when things are down.”

Tinney also said that the national Insurance Journal magazine, with its unique format of five regional editions, gives advertisers considerable flexibility by allowing them to tailor their message to different regions when they need to.

Finally, it also helps that the company invested in additional sales professionals within the past year, Tinney said.

Wells also publishes the property/casualty industry’s top email newsletter -- Daily Insurance Headlines-- and its popular Web site www.InsuranceJournal.com. Its other products include www.ClaimsJournal.com and www.MyNewMarkets.com.

CEO Dunford said his company like other publishers faces the challenge of moving from print to digital. But ad renewals for the company’s digital products are on a pace to beat last year as well.

“We established ourselves early in the game with our digital products, from online and e-mail news to video and Web casts, and it’s paying off,” he said. “We have been able to meet the changing needs of our advertisers and readers.”

Dunford said that even though he is encouraged by early ad renewals, he is not resting because he knows his firm is not immune to the downturn in the economy or rising costs.

“We still need to constantly review expenses like printing, travel, editorial and payroll which keep rising,” he said. “We also need to maintain flexibility so we can reallocate resources as needed and so we can respond to new opportunities.”

Wells Publishing, based in San Diego, Calif. was founded in 1923. In 1936, during the Great Depression, Mark A. Wells Sr., then just 27 years old, purchased the magazine. In 1970, Mark Wells Jr. took over the magazine and remains its publisher today. In 2007, Wells was named the second best publishing company in America to work for by Publishing Executive magazine.