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06/30/2003 Entry: "Conservative Canadian Magazine"
INTO THE BREACH DEAR FRIENDS!: I mean this seriously. Since the death of The Report on Monday I've been smoking a lot of cigarettes and I've been thinking a lot. I want to launch a conservative magazine in Canada.
A lot of you are probably thinking one of two things. First, you must be thinking I'm mad to even contemplate entering an arena that just saw the death of its only representative. I think the failure of The Report was a unique event, a believable contention if you've read the numerous blog entries (especially over at Jeremy Lott's blog) by its newly unemployed staff. The Report may have had its problems but I think at least some of them were created internally. I think a conservative magazine can prosper in this country and only needs someone to step up and begin the hard work of launching it. As I told Lott earlier this week, if two guys without j-school credentials can launch a weekly in Los Angeles then I can't see how a few brave souls can't launch a national conservative magazine in Canada. The economics can work and there's no lack of talented conservative writers in Canada. Heck, we'd start with a ready made staff if even half the people laid off by The Report came onboard.
Second, you're probably thinking that of all the people who should be arrogant enough to want to start an endeavor like this, it shouldn't be me. Fair enough. I realize that ESR is far from being a polished gem. If it's any good it's because of the talented writers who have to put up with me. I'm still willing to give it a shot though even if just to cheer the effort on if someone else shoulders the load and receives the glory.
So what's the next step? Money of course. Launching a magazine requires capital. Unfortunately we don't have a Canadian version of Richard Mellon Sciafe (at least not that I'm aware of) and I don't think Conrad Black is particularly eager to spend any of his money returning to the Canadian journalism industry. Outside of a few major organizations like the Fraser Institute, who have their own publications, there's little in the way of a conservative infrastructure in this country. We were so eager to elect conservative politicians that we seem to have forgotten to do some major work.
That said, I think this country is ripe for a 1960s style National Review-esque conservative awakening though we are missing a national leader at the moment. I think it isn't pie in the sky dreaming to think that we can begin laying the ground work for a conservative movement by launching a conservative magazine and seriously begin the process of having conservatives across Canada debate and network with each other. There are a surprising number of conservatives in Canada and we can inspire and motivate them with a dynamic and forward looking magazine.
So...am I merely shouting out into the wilderness or are there people out there as interested in doing something like this as I am? Don't be a stranger, the email address is editor@enterstageright.com.
Replies: 4 comments
Strange Steve, but I was just thinking the same thing over the weekend. Given that I've moderated my tone quite a bit since our LU days, if you don't mind having a so-con on board, count me in...
Posted by Pete Vere @ 06/30/2003 01:25 AM EST
No doubt there will be some sort of conservative magazine launched. But does it have to be on paper?
I would be surprised if in say a decade there are very many paper magazines left.
The second net boom is around the corner and the time to position for that is right now.
Posted by Jay Currie @ 06/30/2003 04:00 PM EST
Jim Antle mentioned to me last week that ESR expanding its Canadian coverage (or my idea of launching an ESR-North web site) might be another way of leveraging the loss of The Report. It would certainly be cheaper, no doubt about that...
Posted by Steve Martinovich @ 06/30/2003 04:11 PM EST
Why not stick with pixels and publish an annual or semi- annual dead tree, Best Of reader?
If you want to try running a partially-paid subscriber site, I will happily share my vast collection of case studies with you. It has been done, although mostly in service journalism (Consumer Reports) using e-zines and a mix of free and paid only content. Let me know... :-)
Posted by Kathy @ 07/02/2003 09:31 AM EST