1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,400 Speaker 1: Some of New Zealand's most iconic magazine brands are up 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: for sale again. This is The Listener, Women's Day, Women's Weekly. 3 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: They're all back on the market five years after being 4 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,319 Speaker 1: saved from COVID. Alice O'Connell is the former editor of 5 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: the New Zealand Women's Weekly and is with us morning Alice. 6 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: Good morning. 7 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: Do you think the same thing is going on as 8 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: what was going on five years ago, which is that 9 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 1: they just don't turn enough of a profit? Oh? 10 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:21,919 Speaker 2: I mean, I think there are a number of different 11 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 2: factors that led to happens five years ago. I mean, 12 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 2: of course COVID was a really big reason that that happened. 13 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 2: But I mean I think magazines are a difficult sowe 14 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 2: still so, I mean, things haven't improved by the looks 15 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 2: of it over season. Best just still wants to pull out. Now. 16 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: Do you think that they will find a buyer? 17 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 2: Oh? I mean, I certainly hope. So. I think, Look, 18 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 2: I have to really believe in in magazines. I think 19 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 2: they're such a wonderful medium to talk to people in. 20 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 2: It's such a I mean, you can't multitask when you're 21 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 2: reading a magazine, can you. It's such a special experience, 22 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 2: and I think a lot of us are looking now 23 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 2: there's so much information now the Internet was literally looking 24 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 2: for trusted sources of information. I think brands like The 25 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 2: Woman's Weekly and The Listener, I mean, they have all 26 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 2: this heritage, and I mean the Once Weekly has been 27 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 2: going for ninety two years. I'd like to think that 28 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 2: these brands really could live on. Maybe it's not in 29 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 2: a magazine moving forward. I mean, maybe these are different 30 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 2: ways that would be consuming this information. They could suddenly 31 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 2: live online. I think the Listener definitely. I would really 32 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 2: surprised if nted Me didn't put an offer for that, 33 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 2: and they already had that relationship. So yeah, I've high 34 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 2: hopes for what will happen to these times. 35 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: The problem, Alice, is that that the magazines haven't actually 36 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: adapted to a digit These magazines haven't adapted properly to 37 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: a digital world yet. Because I was thinking about the 38 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: magazine that I read. The only one that I read 39 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: regularly is The Economist, which I read online, which I 40 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: had forgotten actually was a magazine. I just read it 41 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: like it's just a news source to me. Now, So actually, 42 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: in order to survive, shouldn't they do exactly the same thing. 43 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, And I mean these these magazines haven't had 44 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 2: their own standalone website. I mean there was a large 45 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 2: umbrella and it was called out to Love that housed 46 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 2: all the different magazine brands, and that really did dilute 47 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 2: the different titles. So I think that could have been 48 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 2: a big struggle for these ones, because as you said, 49 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 2: I mean, this is how we're used to consuming our 50 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 2: media now is online. I mean, the few of us 51 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,399 Speaker 2: who were a part of Bauer and lost our jobs 52 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 2: that we started this website, capsule, and we're certainly finding 53 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: that there is a real audience online and real appetite 54 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 2: for a similar sort of proposition that magazine feel, but online. 55 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 2: So I have real optimism what might happen? 56 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: Good stuff, Alice, good to talk to you. Enjoy your morning. 57 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 1: Alis O'Connell, former editor of New Zealand's Women's Weekly. 58 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 2: Here. 59 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: The women's magazines have too little content and they are 60 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: too expensive. I haven't bought a women's weekly or a 61 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: women's magazine in a very long time. Bought one the 62 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: other day because just Cinda was in it, Theager. But 63 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: number one because that is my job to read about politics. 64 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: But also number two, I just got my obligatory. So 65 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: you bought that and you read the book. Hey, I'm 66 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,640 Speaker 1: doing both at the same time. But I'm saying to 67 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: think you're her biggest fan. I I love just Center. 68 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: I've gotten an autographed book. Did you know, though, that 69 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: I've managed to I reckon mention her every single day 70 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: this week. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen 71 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: live to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, 72 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.