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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Media / Portland Bitch Magazine Needs $40,000

Posted by Matt Davis on Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 12:44 PM

Publishing a magazine is expensive. And there's no way to sugarcoat it. So why bother: Bitch needs $40,000 by October 15:

The print publishing industry as a whole is staring into a void. Across the board, newsstand magazine sales are in a slump, subscriber numbers are down, and paper and postal costs continue to rise. But it's not magazines like US Weekly or Vogue that you'll see disappearing from the newsstands—they have the parent companies and the resources to weather industry ill winds. It's the small, independent magazines like Bitch that will disappear, because the odds are already stacked high against us. And simply put: We need to raise $40,000 by October 15th in order to print the next issue of Bitch.

These are exciting times to be in the newspaper industry. Although as a rampant free market capitalist I do tend to sometimes wonder whether a.we should even BE in the United Nations and b.whether a "magazine" has to adapt to survive. It's all about evolution. I mean, er, creationism. Or something.

What I'm suggesting is that striking the vulnerable pose and asking for benefactors doesn't necessarily strike one as a "fresh, revitalizing voice for feminism." I need $40,000 too, so, if you're thinking of donating, and I hope that you are, well, you may wish to write two checks and send one my way. Lest you should allow any stale, 20th century sexism to influence your tithing.

Amen.

 

Comments (7) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
I agree with you, Matt.
Posted by Michelle on September 16, 2008 at 1:33 PM · Report
2
Relaunched as "Bitch and Moan".
Posted by tk. on September 16, 2008 at 1:38 PM · Report
3
Jezebel has an entry on Bitch as well and highlights the fact that they are a non-profit organization.

It does seem as if because of the magazine's goals, they weren't going to have a huge subscriber base. Plus, limiting their ads (print and online) to those who align with their mission isn't going to make them much money, either.

I wish them luck, but there are other businesses out there with a better product who are at risk of going under.
Posted by A. L. Venable on September 16, 2008 at 2:23 PM · Report
4
Perhaps in today's age of media, Bitch could become an exclusively online magazine, for a lot cheaper. I agree with Venable; the magazine has an important role to play in our society, but perhaps they can achieve the same goals (and have better outreach to new readers) for a lot cheaper in an online form than in the dead-tree magazine.
Posted by ambrown on September 16, 2008 at 9:44 PM · Report
5
Clearly their business model is not working out for them, as they've had to ask for help before, but I don't think asking for cash contradicts their "voice for feminism."
The two are not related.
Posted by blouse party on September 17, 2008 at 9:33 AM · Report
6
As Venable mentioned, they are a nonprofit. I mean, no one is thrilled when NPR does a pledge drive or Sierra Club sends out direct mail asking for $ and yet they don't act like NPR/SC shouldn't exist because they are member-supported nonprofits and have to do fundraising on a regular basis.
Posted by hedges on September 17, 2008 at 11:47 PM · Report
7
As Venable mentioned, they are a nonprofit. I mean, no one is thrilled when NPR does a pledge drive or Sierra Club sends out direct mail asking for $ and yet they don't act like NPR/SC shouldn't exist because they are member-supported nonprofits and have to do fundraising on a regular basis.
Posted by hedges on September 17, 2008 at 11:48 PM · Report

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