When North of 50⁰ was first published, almost 10 years ago, I could count the free magazines distributed in racks in the Central Okanagan on one hand. It was an efficient, cost-effective way to distribute our magazine - a win-win for the retailers and other high traffic businesses who allowed North of 50⁰ racks on their premises; each benefitting from the other’s clientele.
Recently,however, I counted 20 free magazines in Kelowna’s Capri Centre mall. We believe North of 50 is different. We present stories about social and political issues. We remain independent, not influenced by advertisers. We pay our writers and do not publish ads under the guise of advertorial. We are the ONLY magazine in the Okanagan that adheres to those high journalistic standards.
North of 50⁰ is the BEST READ magazine in our region. So here’s the thing. We’re changing our business model. We will now be a reader supported, subscription based, bi-monthly publication. We are still printing 14,000 and mailing to businesses and subscribers.
WHY SUBSCRIPTION BASED – A reader supported magazine makes us accountable to our readers. It gives us more freedom to print stories that some advertisers and mainstream media will steer away from. We’re not interested in turning into an ”off the wall” or “lefty” magazine; we ARE interested in being a progressive, forward thinking, publication, unafraid to dig deeper, to say more. We want to do more investigative reporting, print more opinion pieces and offer content different from mainstream media that relies so heavily on advertising for income.
That’s not to say North of 50⁰ doesn’t value advertisers. We do! We hope to attract advertisers who wish to be associated with a quality read, who believe there is a need for a progressive, independent voice in our region.
WHY BI-MONTHLY – It takes time to investigate stories. To ensure we can deliver the quality content we are committed to, we need two months to research and gather information, to arrange interviews, to check and double check sources. We want to bring you stories and interviews that mainstream simply can’t.
WILL YOU STILL CARRY THE SAME COLUMNISTS? Yes, we will. And more, too. Calvin White and Don Sawyer ‘went national’ years ago; each has been published in major magazines and newspapers across the country. They’ve been called the best opinion writers in Canada, and for good reason. Whether you agree with them or not, they certainly bring compelling editorial to the table.
We would like to hear from others, too and we invite submissions from authors from various backgrounds and levels of experience. We’re especially interested in social, political and cultural issues, especially as they relate to the Thompson/ Okanagan.
The new North of 50 will require more eyes and ears, more editorial focus than little old me can handle on my own. So I have asked Christine Pilgrim to act as editor. The idea of the new magazine with the new editorial focus is right up her alley. Christine Pilgrim has been a regular contributor for several years, and has tackled topics like poverty and homelessness, and arts and culture. Now, she will add a new title to her resume, as editor of the new North of 50.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT North of 50⁰? – Please show your support by sending us your contact / subscription information by email, fax or snail mail. Or call the office toll free, 1.877.667.8450. You can also subscribe online:
IF YOU ARE ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER, thank you, thank you. If you are already a subscriber, you will continue to receive North of 50⁰ for the number of issues you subscribed to.
http://www.northof50.com
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