The Wooden Horse Brings News

. . . which is not always a good thing. Ask the ghosts of Troy.

The Wooden Horse Newsletter of Meg Weaver brings both good and bad news each week, mostly about magazine publishing.

Today the report covers losses in ad revenue for news weeklies, but increases in the same for certain food magazines like Every Day with Rachel Ray. Related to that (in the sense that we're still discussing food mags), the Horse says:

"BON APPETIT* has sold its masthead. In the May issue, coffee retailer Starbucks takes over the business-side masthead, asking the roll call of the magazine's executives, "What do you like best with your Starbucks coffee at home?" The answers are as "eloquent" as: "The House Blend is perfect with an afternoon snack of lemon yogurt and granola," said Lonore Rivera, director-finance and business operations; "My pecan pie and Starbucks Colombia were made for each other," said Stephanie Baker, merchandising director. The masthead, which is marked "promotion" at the top, is one page in a two-page Starbucks spread… "

OK, my stomach's churning, and it ain't from overly-strong coffee. I love Starbucks, but in limited quantities. The thought of these tough editors--who make freelancers cringe--toadying up to the big mermaid with these quotes gives new dimension to the word obsequious.

This is only one small blurb from The Wooden Horse. The weekly newsletter is free and full of specific info on staff changes, new mag launches and closures, and the ups and downs of markets.

The Wooden Horse Magazines Database - "the media directory that's more like a magazine factbook" -is not free, but you can get trial-period, low cost subscriptions to see what sort of information it holds and whether it would help you.