Category: Industry News

LIFESTYLE MEDIA GROUP ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF LAREL MEDIA AND JEFFREY DINETZ AS PRESIDENT

press release, Lifestyle Media Group
Sept. 9, 2019

South Florida’s largest magazine publisher expands portfolio with the addition of inWESTON and inDORAL magazines

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (September 9, 2019) – Lifestyle Media Group (LMG), South Florida’s largest and fastest-growing magazine publisher, today announced the acquisition of Larel Media, adding two new publications to the LMG repertoire. The inclusion of inWESTON and inDORAL now make for an impressive15 titles under LMG’s umbrella – 11 within the Lifestyle magazine portfolio, plus South Florida Business & Wealth, Tampa Bay Business & Wealth; Good Press, covering the social scene in South Florida; and the South Florida Legal Guide.

“Acquiring Larel Media is a critical step for the progress of Lifestyle Media Group,” said Gary Press, CEO of Lifestyle Media Group.  “I review hundreds of potential acquisitions each year, though we only act on very few.  While we added two great publications, the real value was adding a pro like Jeffrey Dinetz to our excellent management team. He is a very smart businessperson who is a born operator.  He brings to the table amazing energy, fresh ideas and a keen strategic mind.”

Jeffrey Dinetz joins LMG as President and will spearhead the company’s editorial, advertising, industry events and community relations. “My staff and I have spent the past six years competing against Gary Press and his talented team at Lifestyle Media Group. It is exciting to be putting all of our products; inclusive of print, digital and event marketing, under one roof to better serve our readers, advertisers and employees,” said Dinetz. “I am looking forward to using my integration skills and experience to ensure our companies maximize our present products and to work with Gary on expanding our footprint further in the South Florida area.”

The integration of inWESTON and inDORAL under the Lifestyle banner, will be seamless as their editorial and advertising direction complement one another – seeking to connect people and businesses in South Florida to their respective communities. Each publication does that with a well-curated mix of articles that touch on categories including dining, arts and entertainment, health/wellness, fashion, retail, philanthropy, real estate/development, nightlife, the social scene, as well as investigative stories. Lifestyle distinguishes itself through its stellar writing and storytelling, as well as its creative design and photography and will continue to do so under this new leadership team.

The Lifestyle magazines South Florida markets served include Las Olas/Fort Lauderdale; Boca Raton/Delray Beach; Weston; Parkland; Coral Springs; Southwest Ranches/Davie/Plantation; Coconut Creek; Lighthouse Point/Pompano/Deerfield & Hillsboro Beaches; and Pinecrest/Coral Gables and will now extend a further reach into the Weston and Doral markets.

 

ABOUT LIFESTYLE MEDIA GROUP (LMG)

Lifestyle Media Group is the largest and fastest-growing magazine publisher in South Florida. Its 15 titles include the company’s flagship publication, South Florida Business & Wealth – as well as Las Olas Lifestyle, honored in 2018 by the Florida Magazine Association as Best Overall Magazine in the entire state (in its circulation category). The company boasts nine magazines under its Lifestyle banner. In addition to Las Olas Lifestyle, other South Florida markets served include Boca Raton/Delray Beach; Weston; Parkland; Coral Springs; Southwest Ranches/Davie/Plantation; Coconut Creek; Lighthouse Point/Pompano/Deerfield & Hillsboro Beaches; and Pinecrest/Coral Gables. The circulation of the 11 Lifestyle titles, combined, exceeds more than 175,000 – with an overall readership in excess of 612,500. For more information visit www.lmgfl.com.

Follow the Reader

By Jamie Mark, FMA president and chief creative officer, Akers Media
May 9, 2018

Who even reads magazines anymore?

The answer to that, I’m happy to say, is almost everyone! According to a recent study by The Association of Magazine Media, around 91 percent of American adults still peruse periodicals on a regular basis. In fact, that proportion increases to 94 percent for adults under 25.  But how is that possible if magazines are considered an old-timey media?


As it turns out, magazines are great at playing “follow the reader.” When readers began to spend more time on their computers, magazine publishers found effective and often brilliant ways to offer their content there. When readers moved to mobile devices and social media, magazines were able to quickly adapt to deliver stories there, too. And with printers reporting a surge in new titles and increased page counts, it appears print has yet to meet its often predicted untimely death.

While readers love their magazines now more than ever, magazine advertisers’ affections have waned. Many still think of magazines as exclusively print. Worse yet, lured by the siren song of digital media’s analytics, advertisers have been distracted by counting clicks. They have lost sight of what makes magazines such a great spend: the way readers view, remember and act on magazine advertising is unique to the media.

While today’s consumers are routinely fast-forwarding through commercials and actively blocking online ads, they are still spending time with magazine ads; viewing them as integral to their reading experience. This is possibly the reason magazines boast the highest return on an advertising spend. We need to remind advertisers that if they are looking for impressions, they will still find the best ones by following magazine readers. Our readers have led us to new and innovative ways to deliver content. We now need to lead our advertisers back to those readers.

The history of magazines

Staff Report, Magazine.com

According to British philosopher Francis Bacon, the printing press was one of three inventions that “changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world.” Prior to the invention of the printing press, books had to be painstakingly copied by hand. When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440, he created a way for knowledge to be mass-produced for the first time in human history. (more…)

Dylan Howard sees a bright future for print

Caysey Welton, minonline.com
May 9, 2017

AMI’s chief content officer describes his plans for Us Weekly.

American Media Inc. has 100 million reasons to be optimistic about its future. The David Pecker-led company is not only doing well with its print titles, says Chief Content Officer Dylan Howard, but its digital business is growing too. (more…)

Time Inc. sets record exceeding one billion monthly digital video views for the first time in April

Staff Report, The Association of Magazine Media
May 4, 2017

Time Inc. (NYSE: TIME), one of the world’s leading multi-platform content companies, marked a major milestone today: the company has garnered one billion monthly digital video views for the first time for the month of April, representing nearly 100% year-over-year growth, and is on pace to deliver more than 8 billion this year. (more…)

New national spirits magazine launches in Sonoma

Lorna Sheridan, Sonoma Index-Tribune
Mar. 13, 2017

A new national trade magazine aimed at wine, beer, distilled spirits, and hard cider producers, suppliers, and distributors launched last week. Debuting with a March/April 2017 issue, (more…)