Down East magazine expands to Portland
Courtesy of Down East magazine
Down East magazine is expanding to Portland to get a better hold on the state's largest media market.
Down East magazine, headquartered in Rockport, will soon open a new office for business and editorial operations at Merrill's Wharf in Portland's Old Port.
"In some respects, we've always been in Portland. But [it's] the state's biggest media market, and there's been a real concentration of things happening there," says Bob Fernald, president, CEO and publisher of Down East.
He sees the historic Merrill's Wharf building and its surroundings as an important part of the magazine's brand identity.
"It's very simple for an outsider to understand," he says. "When you say you're in the Old Port, people perk up."
Operating an office in Portland will allow the magazine better access to some of the state's largest companies and advertising agencies, he says.
To that end, the new office will act as a home base for ad reps currently working from their homes in greater Portland. As many as four ad reps — including account manager Chris Plumstead, who returns to the magazine after a six-year hiatus — and one support staff member are expected to work there.
The expansion also establishes the magazine's associate editor, Will Bleakley as its "go-to editor in Portland," Fernald says.
"Having a full-time presence here was very important to us," says Down East Associate Publisher Tom Giovanniello. "For our ad reps, having a field office in Portland means they work better and are far more efficient because they feel like they are part of the team."
Founded in 1954, Down East employs 45 in its Rockport office. In December of 2012, it reported a paid circulation of 88,970, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.
Fernald and Giovanniello are bullish about the future of the magazine and say the expansion speaks to how the publication has weathered an industry-wide decline for print media.
The Alliance for Audited Media announced last week that overall circulation slipped 0.3% from 2011 to 2012, with single-copy (newsstand) sales of consumer magazines down 8.2% among the 402 AAM members included in the report.
Fernald says Down East was able to buck the recent trend, posting a 5.7% increase in single-copy sales in 2012.
"I think that speaks to the strength of regional magazines," he says. "I've been talking with some friends and everyone seems to have had a good year in the regional magazine business."
Maintaining circulation numbers, Fernald says, has become increasingly important as the magazine sees a tougher market for ad sales.
"The recession was definitely a challenge, but the thing that has stayed strong with Down East has been its circulation," Fernald says. "While some people may have a hard time spending money for ads, they don't seem have any problems plopping down $30 for a subscription or $6 at a newsstand."
Industry-wide, falling newsstand sales have been tempered by an increase in digital subscriptions. Nearly 65% of AAM magazines offer digital editions, and the category has grown by more than 1.4% over the last year and now represents 2.4% of total circulation.
In 2007, the magazine expanded its online presence, launching DownEast.com, MaineHomes.com, MaineVows.com, and MaineBoatyard.com. At the beginning of this month, the magazine expanded its online offerings with an iPad app.
Giovanniello says that while circulation shrank a bit in past years, Down East's loss was far from the industry average.
"There is always that fluidness in your circulation, but we did not pace at all with the rest of the industry," he says.
Fernald, who has been president and CEO of the magazine for seven years, took over the role of publisher in late July. Fernald took over for John Viehman, who left the magazine after six years at the helm.
While Fernald did not share specific plans for the future of Down East, he says that it's a constantly evolving product.
"The magazine we produced five years ago is different than the magazine we are producing today, and five years from now it will be something different too," he says.
Portland is already home to two regional magazines, Maine magazine and Portland Magazine. Fernald says he sees the publications as complementing one another.
"Each one of us is different. Down East has its own unique slant — and I think the state benefits," he says.
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