Portland Monthly
Encyclopedia
Portland Monthly is a monthly news and general interest magazine which covers events and culture in Portland, Oregon
. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 by siblings Nicole and Scott Vogel. Nicole had previously worked for Cendant Corporation
and Time Warner
, and Scott had been a journalist
at The New York Times
. Though the magazine had some trouble with funding in its first year, it grew to a stable circulation of 56,000 and by 2006 was the seventh-largest city magazine in the United States
.
The magazine's current editor is Randy Gragg. The Portland Monthly has received generally positive reception in other new publications, including a mixed review of the magazine's first issue in The Columbian
, and subsequent positive reviews in The Oregonian
and The Seattle Times
. Rachel Dresbeck wrote favorably of the magazine in her 2007 book Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon.
Scott Vogel, and began as a glossy magazine with a focus on the lifestyle of Portland. Nicole Vogel had previously been a vice president at Cendant Corporation
, and had worked at Time Warner
for five years and was a vice president at CNN
. Scott Vogel had previously worked as a journalist for The New York Times
. The niche market
focus of the magazine was for "25- to 65-year-olds with household incomes of at least $100,000". Nicole Vogel used Texas Monthly
as one of her models for the magazine, which she had read growing up in Texas
. Planning and research for the magazine included conducting 200 interviews with residents of Portland, in addition to raising US$
40,000 from angel investor
s.
Nicole Vogel had previously sought out seed capital from investors at the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum in February 2003, and in total raised less than $1 million from investors. One of the first investors in Portland Monthly was the "Women’s Investors Network", a Portland-based group of women-investors which is part of the Oregon Entrepreneurs' Foundation. A formal gathering was held on September 27, 2003 at the Portland Armory to celebrate the launch of the magazine, and the magazine debuted September 29, 2003. The first issue was 104 pages, and due to initial funding issues the magazine appeared bimonthly for the first year. 40,000 copies were produced for the first issue. The first issue was dedicated to the theme: "Why We Love This Town". The magazine was profitable in its first year and brought in $1 million in revenue
.
. Russ Rymer served as the magazine's editor after Scott Vogel left, but he left in February 2005 to become editor of Mother Jones
. After Rymer the magazine went to "employment contracts" for editors. Journalist Louise Lague became the next editor-in-chief of the magazine on April 11, 2005. In 2005 the magazine maintained a staff of 22 in addition to hiring freelancers. In August 2005 the Portland Monthly purchased a local magazine related to wedding
s, the Portland Bride and Groom, which was founded in 2001. Portland Monthly's style editor Jill Spitznass became the editor of the Portland Bride and Groom. Ted Katauskas, who had formerly worked as managing editor of Portland Magazine, was promoted to the magazine's editor-in-chief in August 2005. Katauskas is the fifth employee of the company.
Circulation of the Portland Monthly in 2005 numbered 56,000, and in 2006 paid circulation was 56,000 with an additional 18,000 to 22,000 sold on newsstands. In February 2006 the magazine was the seventh-largest city magazine in the United States
. The magazine has reported on the effects of methamphetamine
abuse in Oregon
, and Enron
's usage of the electric utility in Portland. The magazine maintains a website at www.portlandmonthlymag.com, and includes the first few paragraphs of selected articles on the site. In 2008, Ted Katauskas servesd as editor of the magazine.
, Angela Allen commented that the first issue of the magazine "shows attitude and literary writing, tosses off lots of names, does a terrific fall culture calendar and digs into a couple of issues, including the Trail Blazers", but was also critical, noting: "Its design is crowded and the type is too small to read for most of us without wearing a pair of 'reader' specs." Tom Boyer of The Seattle Times
described the magazine as "a smart mix of reader-friendly features and award-winning journalism". Writing in The Oregonian
, Steve Duin commented that he appreciated the lists published in the magazine: "Because I'm addicted to lists -- and the bigger the better -- the best part of my month is the morning that copy of Portland Monthly lands like a wounded halibut on my desk."
The magazine won three awards in the City and Regional Magazine Association's 20th Annual National City and Regional Magazine Awards in 2005, receiving recognition in Civic Journalism, Excellence in Writing and General Excellence. The magazine was one of three companies nominated by the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum as a finalist for Working Capital Stage Company of the Year. In 2006 Portland Monthly was a finalist for "Best Overall Design" of a consumer magazine, in the Folio: Gold Ozzie Awards. In her 2007 book Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon, author Rachel Dresbeck wrote that the magazine "maintains an excellent calendar" of events going on in the city. In July 2007 Nicole Vogel was a finalist among nominees for an individual entrepreneurship award from the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 by siblings Nicole and Scott Vogel. Nicole had previously worked for Cendant Corporation
Cendant
Cendant Corporation was a New York-based provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, Cendant broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses...
and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, and Scott had been a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
at The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Though the magazine had some trouble with funding in its first year, it grew to a stable circulation of 56,000 and by 2006 was the seventh-largest city magazine in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The magazine's current editor is Randy Gragg. The Portland Monthly has received generally positive reception in other new publications, including a mixed review of the magazine's first issue in The Columbian
The Columbian
The Columbian is a daily newspaper for Vancouver, Washington and Clark County in Washington State in the United States. The paper was published for its first decade as a four page daily that was meant as a counterweight to the local Republican newspaper The Independent. Printer Tom Carolan began...
, and subsequent positive reviews in The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
and The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
. Rachel Dresbeck wrote favorably of the magazine in her 2007 book Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon.
First year
The magazine was co-founded in 2003 by Nicole Vogel and her brother journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Scott Vogel, and began as a glossy magazine with a focus on the lifestyle of Portland. Nicole Vogel had previously been a vice president at Cendant Corporation
Cendant
Cendant Corporation was a New York-based provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, Cendant broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses...
, and had worked at Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
for five years and was a vice president at CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. Scott Vogel had previously worked as a journalist for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. The niche market
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
focus of the magazine was for "25- to 65-year-olds with household incomes of at least $100,000". Nicole Vogel used Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
as one of her models for the magazine, which she had read growing up in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Planning and research for the magazine included conducting 200 interviews with residents of Portland, in addition to raising US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
40,000 from angel investor
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
s.
Nicole Vogel had previously sought out seed capital from investors at the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum in February 2003, and in total raised less than $1 million from investors. One of the first investors in Portland Monthly was the "Women’s Investors Network", a Portland-based group of women-investors which is part of the Oregon Entrepreneurs' Foundation. A formal gathering was held on September 27, 2003 at the Portland Armory to celebrate the launch of the magazine, and the magazine debuted September 29, 2003. The first issue was 104 pages, and due to initial funding issues the magazine appeared bimonthly for the first year. 40,000 copies were produced for the first issue. The first issue was dedicated to the theme: "Why We Love This Town". The magazine was profitable in its first year and brought in $1 million in revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
.
2004 - present
Scott Vogel served as the magazine's first editor-in-chief, and left Portland Monthly in late 2004 to join the The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. Russ Rymer served as the magazine's editor after Scott Vogel left, but he left in February 2005 to become editor of Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
. After Rymer the magazine went to "employment contracts" for editors. Journalist Louise Lague became the next editor-in-chief of the magazine on April 11, 2005. In 2005 the magazine maintained a staff of 22 in addition to hiring freelancers. In August 2005 the Portland Monthly purchased a local magazine related to wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
s, the Portland Bride and Groom, which was founded in 2001. Portland Monthly
Circulation of the Portland Monthly in 2005 numbered 56,000, and in 2006 paid circulation was 56,000 with an additional 18,000 to 22,000 sold on newsstands. In February 2006 the magazine was the seventh-largest city magazine in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The magazine has reported on the effects of methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
abuse in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
's usage of the electric utility in Portland. The magazine maintains a website at www.portlandmonthlymag.com, and includes the first few paragraphs of selected articles on the site. In 2008, Ted Katauskas servesd as editor of the magazine.
Reception
Writing for The ColumbianThe Columbian
The Columbian is a daily newspaper for Vancouver, Washington and Clark County in Washington State in the United States. The paper was published for its first decade as a four page daily that was meant as a counterweight to the local Republican newspaper The Independent. Printer Tom Carolan began...
, Angela Allen commented that the first issue of the magazine "shows attitude and literary writing, tosses off lots of names, does a terrific fall culture calendar and digs into a couple of issues, including the Trail Blazers", but was also critical, noting: "Its design is crowded and the type is too small to read for most of us without wearing a pair of 'reader' specs." Tom Boyer of The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
described the magazine as "a smart mix of reader-friendly features and award-winning journalism". Writing in The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
, Steve Duin commented that he appreciated the lists published in the magazine: "Because I'm addicted to lists -- and the bigger the better -- the best part of my month is the morning that copy of Portland Monthly lands like a wounded halibut on my desk."
The magazine won three awards in the City and Regional Magazine Association's 20th Annual National City and Regional Magazine Awards in 2005, receiving recognition in Civic Journalism, Excellence in Writing and General Excellence. The magazine was one of three companies nominated by the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum as a finalist for Working Capital Stage Company of the Year. In 2006 Portland Monthly was a finalist for "Best Overall Design" of a consumer magazine, in the Folio: Gold Ozzie Awards. In her 2007 book Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon, author Rachel Dresbeck wrote that the magazine "maintains an excellent calendar" of events going on in the city. In July 2007 Nicole Vogel was a finalist among nominees for an individual entrepreneurship award from the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.