John Morthanos
John Morthanos is a circulation consultant specializing in niche and
special interest publications. He was Vice President Specialty Sales at
Curtis Circulation Company, Vice President Single Copy Sales at Primedia
Special Interest Publications and Cowles Magazines, Circulation Director
at Viare Publishing, and Circulation Marketing Director at Ziff Davis
Computer Publications.
Doctor Doom vs. Captain Optimist: Why AAM Numbers Don’t Tell The Full Newsstand Story
Last month, Baird Davis – or Doctor Doom as he was called in a post by BoSacks – pointed out that the newsstand was dying. Davis used Alliance for Audited [...]
Do You Have an “Ugly Baby” in Your Magazine Lineup?
Media
In episode 85 of the popular sitcom The Seinfeld Show, Jerry and Elaine have a conversation about ugly babies. In it, they agree that some babies are simply not that [...]
What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? Reconsidering Newsstand Cadence
Media
“Kenneth, what is the frequency?!” In 1994 R.E.M. wrote a song about this non sequitur that was repeated by a disturbed man as he beat TV news anchor Dan Rather [...]
What Happened to Creative Subscription Marketing for Magazines?
Media
As an outspoken advocate of newsstand sales and someone with experience in circulation marketing, I find there is a correlation between the loss of newsstand sales and the reduction in [...]
What Newsstand Professionals & Rodney Dangerfield Have in Common
Media
A few weeks ago I was one of 45 other newsstand professionals who broke bread at the 30th Anniversary of the Hudson Retail Group, the largest operator of concessions in [...]
The Newsstand Needs a Business Model That Welcomes Innovation
Media
A small publisher called me a few weeks ago because he wanted his magazine to be distributed across the country. His editorial focus has an appeal that would attract buyers; [...]
Missing From the MBR Conference: Newsstand Strategies for Small, Niche Publishers
Media
I recently returned from the MBR 2017 Conference (Magazines & Books at Retail, formerly Periodical & Book Association of America, PBAA), and the mood of the meeting was upbeat. There [...]
A Rant About Ratebase: How Publishers Large & Small Are Killing Newsstand Revenue
Media
Recently I was going through the F.S.I.’s (Free Standing Inserts) in my Sunday (print) newspapers, when I came across an astounding offer from Hearst magazines. “Enjoy One Year of O, [...]
For Newsstand Success, Magazines Must Stay True to Editorial Mission
Media
I have conducted an exercise with many of my clients lately, where we identify their editorial mission and then actually deliver that mission to consumers on the newsstand. Realistically, for [...]
A Modest Proposal: How to Grow Magazine Sales at Specialty Retail
Media
In the first week of January 2017 major retailers announced that they would close hundreds of brick-and-mortar stores, eliminating major outlets for magazine distribution. Now, more than ever, it is [...]