Tag Archives: advertising

The MOB December Mixer

Posted on December 3, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Media of Birmingham

December Mixer

  • Tuesday, December 7
  • 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
  • Pale Eddies Pour House, 2308 2nd Ave N., Birmingham, AL 35203 [map]
  • Free admission. RSVP required by Dec 6th at 5:30 PM.
  • NO WALK-INS. Late fee $10.

Get into the holiday spirit with our December mixer. We’ll be at Pale Eddies Pour House in Downtown Birmingham.

Enjoy happy hour specials and invite your friends and colleagues in media (print, broadcast, online, etc.), public relations, advertising and marketing.

Free admission but guests are encouraged to bring unwrapped toy. All toy items will be donated to YWCA Santa Workshop!

Register Today

Questions? Contact us or leave a comment.

P.S. Please join our free mailing list for all the updates straight to your In box.

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Addy award submissions due Jan. 6

Posted on December 15, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The 52nd annual Addy Awards, recognizing the best among Birmingham’s advertising community, wants your entries.

The deadline is Jan. 6, just 3 weeks away. (Late entry deadline is Jan. 11.)

Entry fees range from $55 to $90. The entry drop-off location is Think Positive Advertising, 100 Grandview Pl., Ste. 110, Inverness [map].

Full details can be found on the Addy Awards site and the American Advertising Federation-Birmingham site.

For more information, contact Carrie Pearce at carrie@thinkpositive.tv or call 262-2832.

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American Advertising Federation holiday party and food drive

Posted on December 2, 2009 by | Leave a comment

AAF Birmingham - AAF Holiday Party and Food DriveThe Birmingham chapter of the American Advertising Federation will have a holiday party and food drive next week.

  • When: 6-9 p.m. Dec. 10
  • Where: Billy Brown Photography, 2814 Linden Ave., Homewood [map]
  • Cost: Donation of canned goods and other non-perishable food items, or toiletries. Drinks and light hors d’oeuvres will be available.
  • RSVP: info@aafbirmingham.com

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EXCLUSIVE: Cooking Light adds to Southern Progress layoffs

Posted on November 11, 2009 by | 8 comments

The bloodshed continues at Southern Progress Corporation.

cooking-light-nov-2009-coverThe fall layoffs continued into week 2 at the Birmingham-based publisher: Media of Birmingham has learned from company sources that five Cooking Light editorial staffers were laid off Tuesday.

Update Nov. 12: We’re revising the total to six laid off Thursday. Worth noting: Editor Mary Kay Culpepper left in September; executive editor Billy Sims is leaving voluntarily; and managing editor Maelynn Cheung was laid off in this round. Which means all three top positions at the mag have been vacated in the last 2 months.

The Time Inc. outfit laid off 48 employees Thursday, including 13 in Southern Living’s editorial department, eight in SPConnect (formerly Custom Publishing) and three in human resources.

The news comes as Time Inc. reports a third-quarter ad revenue drop of $129 million, or 22 percent, compared to the same quarter in 2008. And yet, despite that gloomy news, Cooking Light had a 27 percent increase in December ad pages, while Southern Living had a 34 percent increase. Both figures for the Southern Progress titles are self reported to the Publishers Information Bureau.

With additional reports coming in, the count for this round stands at 54 people laid off.

Update Nov. 12: The Birmingham Business Journal reports two possible but opposing outcomes. First, Time Inc. spokeswoman Debra Richman said the company will hire back “a number of positions” but did not elaborate on how many or which jobs. Second, the story concludes with, “Southern Progress sources said they expect layoffs to continue through December.”

If you’ve been laid off from SPC, or know someone who has, please let us know via our contact form. We’ll keep your personal information confidential.

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Scout Branding wins Peak Award

Posted on November 10, 2009 by | Leave a comment

scout-branding-logoScout Branding Company won Advertising Agency of the Year Wednesday at the American Advertising Federation Birmingham Peak Awards. The competition honors top professionals in the advertising and marketing fields.

Scout Branding is a Birmingham-based advertising, branding and interactive company.

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EXCLUSIVE: Hoffman’s Cooking with Paula Deen drops 14.1 percent in 3rd quarter

Posted on November 3, 2009 by | 4 comments

3Q-birmingham-magazine-ad-sales

Birmingham-based magazines continued their ad sales slump when comparing their third quarters of 2008 and 2009. The most surprising drop came from Hoffman Media’s Cooking With Paula Deen, which fell 14.1 percent according to figures from the Magazine Publishers of America. The magazine had increased 3.2 percent between the first half of 2008 and 2009.

Meanwhile, with layoffs imminent at Southern Progress, the decline in ad sales continued among the five remaining titles. Coastal Living saw the biggest slump, dropping 13.6 percent, while Health Sunset remained nearly steady with a 0.3 percent drop. Southern Progress magazines saw a 6.9 percent drop overall.

U.S. magazines lost 18.6 percent average in ad sales from 2008 to 2009 during the third quarter.

Also:

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Personnel changes at the Birmingham News

Posted on August 25, 2009 by | 2 comments

Including a change at the top

A few personnel changes at the Birmingham News of note:

Ian R. Rapoport• Ian R. Rapoport, University of Alabama sports beat reporter, is headed to his hometown to cover the New England Patriots for the Boston Herald. He writes on his final News blog post:

“In fact, the past three seasons spent covering Nick Saban — and Alabama football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, and everything else — for The Birmingham News have been crazy, unpredictable, and incredibly rewarding.

“I had a blast.”

Scott Stantis• Editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis is headed to the Chicago Tribune. New WBHM-FM contributor Tim Lennox broke the story on his blog. Stantis writes on his News blog:

“It has been a great 13 years. Everything from Tinker Fob to Jimmy Blake to Bettye Fine to LaLa and every crazy thing in between. It has been my great honor to cartoon for the people of Birmingham, Jefferson County and Alabama. I hope you have liked it as much as I have.”

kurt-vanotsky-mug• Kurt Vantosky is the new vice president of advertising. He was previously at the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune and the Anchorage Daily News. He told the News:

“I think the strong editorial commitment — its history and its continued belief of being the voice of the community — drew me to The Birmingham News.”

Ricky Mathews• Perhaps most intriguing is this item, sent to us by a News insider. Birmingham native Ricky Mathews is the new president and publisher of two Advance Publications properties, the (Mobile) Press-Register and the Mississippi Press in Pascagoula. (Amusingly enough, his name is misspelled in the announcement story.) He served in the same capacity at the Sun Herald in Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss.

But his job description doesn’t end there, as Mathews will also serve in a newly created position …

“Mathews was also named president of Advance Alabama/Mississippi and will assume oversight responsibility for the Birmingham News and the Huntsville Times, in addition to the Press-Register and Mississippi Press.”

What, if anything, does this mean for the ailing Birmingham News? Can anyone weigh in?

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Birmingham AMA presents ‘How Hoffman Media Did It’

Posted on August 12, 2009 by | Leave a comment

American Marketing Association - Birmingham, AlabamaThe Birmingham chapter of the American Marketing Association presents “How Hoffman Media Did It: 47% Greater Revenue Since 2005.”

Birmingham-based Hoffman publishes Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, Victoria, Cooking with Paula Deen and Southern Lady magazines. The program:

Jennifer Jaquess, marketing director at Birmingham’s Hoffman Media, uses her communications experience to oversee sales support for nine consumer titles with 15 sales representatives across the country and nearly $5 million in ad revenue. Learn about the strategies Hoffman Media has developed to grow even during lean times.

Event details:

  • 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Aug. 19
  • The Summit Club, 31st floor of Regions-Harbert Plaza, 1901 Sixth Ave. N. [map]
  • $20 for members, $30 for non-members, $10 for students

Visit the site to register.

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CBS 42 owner files for bankruptcy

Posted on July 14, 2009 by | 1 comment

Also, WB 21 / My 68 owner also considers filing for bankruptcy

New Vision Television filed for bankruptcy Monday. The company, based in Atlanta and Los Angeles, owns 16 stations nationwide including CBS 42 (WIAT) in Birmingham.

The company, which goes by the name New Vision Television, said in a statement it has an agreement that will eliminate more than $400 million in debt and provide it with capital to continue its operations. The company secured $30 million in new financing, according to the statement.

“Our daily business operations will not miss a beat,” said Jason Elkin, chief executive officer, in the statement.

Jobs and employee benefits will be “intact,” operations will continue as usual “and as soon as the pre-arranged court process has ended, New Vision will emerge as a nimble, well-financed company,” he said.

Update: The CBS 42 Twitter feed called the move “good for us- no layoffs and more good news coming today.” The station hired former NBC 13 anchorman Ken Lass to start Sept. 1.

Meanwhile, Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group faces a heavy debt load ($1.33 billion) and declining ad sales, like most TV owners. It warned in an SEC filing that it may be forced for file for bankruptcy.

Sinclair owns and operates WB 21 (WTTO) and My 68 (WABM) in Birmingham.

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