Worcester Mag Shakes Up Management
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Kathy Real, new publisher of Worcester Mag
The appointment of Kathy Real as publisher of Worcester Mag this month is aimed at improving the financial position of the alternative weekly, its owner said.
Real, who worked at Worcester Mag for more than two decades before taking a job at the Telegram & Gazette in 2009, has returned to lead a transition that owner Kirk Davis hopes will result in a stronger bottom line driven by both new sales strategies and editorial vision.
Real replaces Gareth Charter, who had been with the publication since Davis — owner of the Holden Landmark Corp. and Cracked Rock Media (and separately, president and COO of New York-based GateHouse News) — bought it in 2008.
Davis said the decision to replace Charter was painful because he considers him a "dear friend."
"This is strictly about wanting to build the company, and kind of the next era of the company, and it's with nothing but the highest regard and respect for Gareth," Davis said. "It's deeply personal."
Davis said he did not wish to elaborate on Charter's departure. Charter did not return messages left at his Needham home.
Davis said the recession, which hit shortly after he bought Worcester Mag, has been challenging for the publication. And newcomers to the local media scene, like GoLocal Worcester, are competing for precious ad dollars.
But Davis is starting to see hopeful signs that advertisers want to increase their spending, which would mean thicker issues and more content.
"We're entering a period where I think it's fair for media to expect itself to grow," he said.
With a number of staffing changes in the second half of this year, Davis sees the next six months or more as a good time to discuss "the most relevant new mission for the magazine," and he said Real is the right person to lead that process.
"You find yourself thinking about what's next and how to navigate it. And the answers aren't always what you've experienced in the past. There are new and uncharted paths you need to take," Davis said.
As with any publication, growth will require a focus on both the editorial side and the sales side, he said.
"My biggest aspiration is I want the publication to enhance its coverage of the city and to do more for its employees," he said. "[Real's] number-one job is to grow the business."
New Revenues, New Roles
On the sales side, Worcester Mag took an interesting step earlier this year when Charter led the creation of Kelly Square Communications.
Davis stopped short of calling it an advertising agency, but many of its services are similar. It offers ad buying, public relations, event promotion, audio-visual production services and website development.
Kelly Square's staff handled the Worcester Home Show program book and did a rebranding project for Georgetown-based Tesla Systems.
"I think there's been a recent realization by the company that providing more marketing services is a very relevant way to expand and grow," Davis said.
The editorial staff saw some transition this year, including the departures of editor Doreen Manning and senior reporter Jeremy Shulkin.
Former online editor and photographer Brittany Durgin was hired to take Manning's spot, and Davis plans to hire additional editorial staff in the coming year.
Real said in an interview that she wants to increase awareness of the magazine throughout the region. That process has only just begun, but she said she wants staff to focus on reporting unique and exclusive content that cannot be found in the region's other news publications.
"We're an alternative for mainstream news," Real said. "(We ask) 'What needs more of an in-depth look or investigation into it?'"
And she wants to place a deeper focus on the magazine's website.
It's not that everything needs to change. Real thinks Worcester Mag does plenty of things well, and said its editorial team is strong.
"I think that if I had to pinpoint what we do well in one area, it would be listening to the community and really being involved in what they want," she said. "I think we've always been accessible."
Allen Fletcher, the magazine's former owner who worked with Real, said her experience in advertising and sales will be a plus in what he sees as a challenging business. And so will the institutional knowledge she has from working there for 21 years, he added.
"I'm not sure to what extent that matters to the community, but it means something to the publication, to understand its own history, understand who the great writers for Worcester Mag were and what this rather rich tradition is all about," Fletcher said. "Kathy is certainly in touch with that."
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