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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Ending Its Run

One of my favorite film industry publications is calling it quits as a monthly mag after the next issue hits the stands...

Steven Zeitchik of Variety:

Hachette Filipacchi pulled the plug on Premiere on Monday, confirming widespread rumors that the embattled movie mag would be shuttered.

Many of the company's editorial staffers will leave the company, including editor-in-chief Peter Herbst.

The April issue, which features Will Ferrell on the cover for "Blades of Glory," will be mag's last. Staffers put the issue to bed about 10 days ago...

...Magazine, published 10 times per year, will continue to exist online.

Specifics on how many staffers would migrate, how often content will be refreshed and how many of the mag's regular features will be maintained were undisclosed.

News of its print demise brings to an end what has been something of a media soap opera for the New York-based title, which employs five print editorial staffers in its Hollywood bureau and an estimated couple dozen in its flagship [New York City] offices.

Hachette and parent company Lagardere were trying to sell the title earlier this year, but bidders were reportedly thin for the troubled pub. Mag saw its ad pages decline nearly 25% in 2006...

The 20-year-old Premiere had its heyday in the 1990s, when the appetite for insider movie news grew.

Even today, mag publishes a Hollywood power list and industry scuttlebutt under sections like "Yes It's True: News You're Not Supposed to Know," alongside more consumer-friendly stories, such as a list of overrated movies.

But the trade-flavored pieces in which Premiere once specialized have become less relevant as consumer dailies have taken more of an interest in the biz, while sites like Defamer have proliferated to satisfy the demand for near-instantaneous industry gossip.

Premiere also faced the challenge of being a long-lead mag in a realm where news moves increasingly quickly. For example, Oscar predictions made months in advance now run the risk of becoming stale by the time the print edition hits newsstands.

And while interest in celeb news is by many indications stronger than ever, sites like TMZ and PerezHilton have proved more adept at breaking and keeping up with news...

"This step is consistent with our strategy to examine our portfolio of brands to determine the best business plan for each, based on its category and the marketplace," Hachette [president]-CEO Jack Kliger said in a statement.

Company will continue publishing international editions in territories such as France, where the mag started in the 1970s.


Get the complete story here


The Secrets of Spider-Man 3 Is A Great Article

From The Jan/Feb Issue; One Of The Last In Print

I know this news is just a sign of the times and I understand why the move is being made--but it's still disappointing-just the same.

Yes, Premiere will continue in some form...But it's not same...

Sure, the news in the magazine was outdated, by the time it reached readers. The set visits (see above), interviews, reviews, Home Guide, and cover stories were still very entertaining and informative for devotee's of film like myself. As a 12 year subscriber--I will miss not getting that latest issue in my mailbox.

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