A premium media company with a very bright future.
I was just over six years into retirement – after selling my interest in one of the other local magazines – and true to my regular routine, was practising my banjo for an upcoming gig with my band when my iPhone rang with a caller ID of “Unknown.”
For some reason, I’ve been a daily target of scammers disguised as Canada Revenue agents. Their numbers are always displayed as “Unknown,” and lately I’ve been getting tired of them. So I clicked “Accept” but laid my phone on the table and played one smokin’ banjo riff to a person I thought was a scammer calling from a foreign country. This went on for a minute or two until I noticed the caller had not hung up, and instead was patiently calling out, “David? David?”
“Hello?”
“David, this is Moses Znaimer. Was that you playing the banjo?”
I later learned that since Moses (yes, that CityTV/MuchMusic Moses, who is now the Founder, President and CEO of ZoomerMedia) uses an old BlackBerry in security mode, his calls come through as “Unknown” – which means I now have to answer all calls from future CRA scammers in the event they might actually be Moses.
It was a comical start to an excellent relationship that ultimately resulted in me accepting the job offer from Zoomer, and this publisher’s letter. I will tell you: at first I wasn’t sure I wanted to jump back into publishing. I’ve enjoyed my quiet life over the past six years. I have two kids, a rock band, a mountain bike that requires daily attention, and lots of hobbies. But I love publishing. I love magazines (more on this below), and I love helping small businesses market themselves. I love creating advertising proposals that are custom-made to be hugely effective, and I love watching small businesses flourish as a result of the marketing campaigns I help create.
I also love competition. I spent 10 years competing hard (really hard) against On The Bay, and it wasn’t always easy. On The Bay has an exceptional following, unparalleled brand recognition, a ton of respect in the community and a reputation for solid, factual journalism. So, for me to now join the team and continue the legacy – well, it’s an honour.
Will there be changes? Yes. This magazine belongs to Moses, and he has a strong vision; it’s congruent with mine, and we will balance them together. We will build on the foundation created by Editor Janet Lees and former Publisher Jeff Shearer by continuing to be the journalistic authority on meaningful subject matter.
We will also continue to champion causes. Growth in our area continues to create change and challenges, and I’m a big believer that if we don’t work together to preserve, and grant access to, large natural green spaces, we will lose the quality of life we all enjoy – the reason many of us live here. There are always many issues to tackle. I’ve never been a fan of the term NIMBY – to me it’s a derogatory term (like “tree-hugger”) to dismiss valid and reasonable concerns that residents have about outside forces impacting their way of life. If the people who populate a region can’t have an influence on what affects their region, then who does?
I’m excited to be back in the magazine business. In today’s age of distraction, discord, constant notifications, and the dearth of credible, balanced, independent journalism, magazines offer a quiet mini-vacation into curated content that is meaningful, entertaining and enlightening. The magazine reader is a captivated reader, savouring content at their own pace, enjoying a unique relationship with each individual published issue.
On a local level, we are blessed in this region to have an abundance of quality magazines. I’m personal friends with the publishers and editors of most of them. I have tremendous respect for the work they do; they publish excellent magazines. Will we compete? Absolutely. I’m a fierce competitor. But I’m fair and honest as well.
We have a redesign planned for On The Bay for the near future, so expect fresh content, more culture, more home and décor, more local heroes, more value for advertisers, and more to devour in each and every issue. We are also launching a new website to feature local personalities, events, vistas and timely news. This, in addition to the huge reach of our classical music station, 102.9 FM, will complete our position and standing as a premium media company with a very bright future.
Stay tuned. ❧
David Loopstra,
Publisher
