And just for one good final measure today, Luxury Spa Finder -- for those who have problems finding luxury spas, of course -- has "ceased publication" with its July 2008 issue to become Luxury Spa Finder Interactive.
The concept is easy -- pay the publishers money to be listed in their spa directories. OK, so you don't really need a magazine for that. But after a day like this, the Reaper could use a good bone rub.
It's 2-for-1 day at the Reaper residence, as we swooped down at Hearst and decided that if Shop Etc. was unnecessary, then there truly was no purpose for Weekend magazine. So why not take them both and end the summer with a bang?
Along with Shop Etc., the two magazines represent Hearst's rip-offs of much better executed publications elsewhere (Lucky and Real Simple). They even went as far as hiring Real Simple's launch editor, Susan Wyland.
According to the press release, "The nine-to-five workday no longer exists
as job responsibilities and home life have melded together. As a
result, now more than ever, Americans live for the weekend. To help
them make the most of their time off each week," Hearst launched Weekend.
I guess they found out that when people have all that time on their hands, they are not reading magazines like Weekend!
So the Reaper is spending this weekend putting Weekend out of its misery. I'm going to kick back and catch a well-deserved breath after putting these two Hearst wannabe's to rest.
A friendly tip o' the hood to our Hoboken friend, who suggested that Hearst Magazines should be renamed Hearse Magazines.
