Publishing a magazine, even the smallest one, costs a lot of money. I assume that the big supermarket chains would surely have the financial means to cover the expenses associated with printing since they already publish so much of brochures, leaflets, catalogues and even glossy magazines. However, if the new magazine I am working on is to be local and community-orientated, I need to think deeply about the costs of labour.
I thought about using the students of journalism from local universities who are always searching good work experience opportunities. I contacted Beth Brewster, the Director of Studies, Journalism & Publishing at Kingston University, and outlined my idea briefly asking for her expert opinion.
The outcome of our email exchange so far is outlined below:
1. Journalism in general is surely moving towards local markets with hyperlocal sites like Kings Cross Environment that deal with what's happening in local communities.
2. Having supermarkets sponsor the magazine is problematic because the sponsor would surely want to have an influence (and generally negative impact) on content. For example, I might never be able to run stories on certain new shops opening in the area if they are competitors.
3. There are more examples of sponsored local community magazines online, mostly because they are cheaper to produce than print publications. For example, Beckenham.com is sponsored by local estate agents. Although it has the appearance of being a community site it definitely has an 'agenda'.
4. Journalism students could be used as free labour as long as they are not exploited. They can't work for free for longer than four weeks so a skeleton permanent staff would also be needed to maintain consistency. My Village is run this way/.
I have also tried to get in touch with a friend of mine who works in Sainsbury's in order to arrange a meeting with the sore manager and run my idea through him. So far, I had no lack with getting anything back from him.
About Me
- Katarzyna Matuszewska
- I grew up in a small town in Poland believing that the only boundaries that should not be crossed were those which I set up for myself. Now, living in the cultural blur of a cosmopolitan city I stick to that rule. I cross boundaries between cultures, languages, between print and web, between journalism and design in search of original creative fusions. I graduated from University of Westminster in 2010 with a Masters Degree with Distinction in Design for Communication. I also hold a First Class BA in Journalism with Media and Cultural Studies from Kingston University, which gives me a combined knowledge of editorial and design practices. Having previously worked for The Sunday Times Magazine, Haymarket and Think Publishing, I have experience in publishing and design industries and a strong passion for editorial design. I am a great (bilingual) communicator, a competent writer and a designer. I produce imaginative magazine layouts to convey the publication‘s editorial mission and specialise in magazine launch and redesign projects. If you think your organisation could benefit from my knowledge and experience, please get in touch.