NYTimes: Signs that Conde Nast is getting serious: Brides.com pulls content from three magazines into one bridezilla of a site, a new site for teen girls is on the launchpad and plans for a new business magazine call for original online content. The Times says this marks a “new level of commitment to the web by Conde Nast.” Even better — “the new reality in the magazine industry: The Internet is an indispensable companion to print.”
Case in point: Conde Nast is hiring web editors for each of its 29 consumer mags, a position only half have filled now. New Yorker EIC David Remnick is among those hiring: “The sense of urgency, the sense of moment, has arrived.” More important, Conde Nast promises to back up the urgency with funds. Editorial Director Thomas J. Wallace: “Tell us the cost and benefit, and if the return on investment is great enough, you get the money … “Our spending may have to be ahead of our ability to make money.” Conde Nast already has seen some ROI for mags with a strong web presence: 100,000-plus subs last year generated through Self.com, which emphasizes interactivity.
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