The Canadian publisher of Maine Magazine has paused printing the glossy monthly publication amid ongoing struggles to maintain advertising revenue.
Crystal Murray, president of Advocate Printing and Publishing, said four people have been laid off as a result, with one more layoff likely.
The cover of the November/December 2022 issue of Maine magazine
“We haven’t completely shuttered Maine Magazine, but we’ve had to take a long look at its sustainability,” Murray said Tuesday. “So, we’re going to press pause on this and do a good evaluation and see where we come out on the other side.”
Several employees, however, contacted the Press Herald to say that seven of the publication’s 10 employees were laid off.
The March issue of Maine Magazine, which hits newsstands this month, will be the last one for the foreseeable future. Murray said the magazine would maintain its online presence but didn’t offer details about what it might look like.
The other Maine publication owned by Advocate – Maine Home + Design – is not affected, Murray said, and the editor of Maine Magazine, Rachel Hurn, has moved to Maine Home & Design in a different role. The editor of Maine Home + Design will remain in that role.
Maine Magazine, which features stories, photographs and other content highlighting food, art, travel and culture, prints 13,000 copies each month and has an audience reach of about 40,000, Murray said. The magazine was founded in 2009 but has dealt with a number of ownership changes in the last few years.
Advocate purchased both magazines last year from State 23 Media, a company that formed in 2018 to take over for Maine Media Collective after allegations that the owner and former publisher, Kevin Thomas, sexually harassed a female employee years earlier. Thomas stepped down and the former publisher issued an apology, but the company lost sponsors and canceled events in the wake of the allegations.
Former publisher Andrea King was brought in to rebuild Maine Magazine’s image, but she stayed for less than a year.
Based in Pictou, Nova Scotia, Advocate operates a number of publishing assets in Atlantic Canada, including 11 newspapers and nearly two dozen magazines. Maine Magazine and Maine Home + Design are its only publications in the state.
Murray said there is no timetable for when, or if, Maine Magazine will resume publication.
“We really want to be careful how we do this,” she said. “We want to be sure what we plan is the best strategic way forward.”
Murray pointed out that many publishers are struggling to generate advertising revenue, particularly coming out of the pandemic.
“We still have faith in the industry, we just need to think about it a little differently,” she said. “Maine Magazine is a beloved brand in the state … There is a lot of love for the publication and we’d love to be able to bring it back in some form.”
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