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| TORONTO, April 28, 2008 - Paton Publishing, the largest audited youth magazine publisher in Canada and a division of Metroland Media Group, has acquired What’s Up Kids Family magazine, now offering its advertisers the ability to reach mom! What’s Up Kids Family magazine (WUK) is a natural extension to Paton’s portfolio of magazines in that it targets the parents of school age kids, mirroring Paton’s youth readership. After researching the market thoroughly, Paton learned that WUK was a major success story, having grown from a regional to a national, perfectly bound, 100-page magazine in just over three years. Beverley Paton, President of Paton Publishing, states: “WUK is a perfect strategic fit for us. Now we offer one-stop shopping to reach the entire family providing our advertisers with a turnkey solution.” “We were thrilled to hear about the acquisition. Both the influencer [kids] and the primary purchaser [moms] are very important targets for us,” says Dan Boem, Associate Media Director, MindShare. “Having a media partner that enables us to target both in an effective and efficient way is very compelling.” WUK currently publishes six editions with a circulation of 100,000 copies per issue. When Maclean’s released their Top Subscription (paid+verified) gainers rankings in 2007, WUK was #1 on the list with an amazing 867% increase. The recent PMB research confirms WUK is also a leader in the mom market when reaching the moms of school-aged kids, further reinforceing the fit with Paton’s magazines. Plans are already in place to integrate Paton’s youth properties by offering WUK readers the option to add a subscription to any of their youth magazines. Paton adds, “As a mom, I can see first-hand how important it is to be able to see the world through the eyes of my children. The integration of our youth publications with our new mom magazine offers this.” Dave Walker, owner of WUK, will continue on as Publisher, spearheading the growth of Paton Publishing’s mom business. “It’s all about faster, bigger growth opportunities. Combining forces and sharing the same vision gives us the opportunity to build our print property even more and to expand beyond print to create other marketing platforms.” Since being acquired by Metroland Media Group over two years ago this is the second acquisition to come under Paton. Hockey Now was acquired in December 2006 as a way for Paton to expand on its NHLPowerPlay brand to reach the entire hockey family. In addition, Paton’s three core youth publications include: POP! and POP! Jr, YTV Whoa!/Whao! and The Grind. Paton also creates curriculum-based in-school programs and is an established custom publisher. For more information please visit www.patonpublishing.com, contact Beverley Paton at (416) 503-4576, ext. 222 or Dave Walker at 1-888-690-8751. |
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Heading up Paton Publishing's involvement with KINSA is Beverley Paton, Director of Kids' Outreach. Through her support for this alliance and cause, KINSA's message is now reaching a critical audience: kids across Canada aged 8 to 12, along with their teachers and parents. '"The Internet is a wonderful place for kids, full of great information," says Paton. "But there are also dangers associated with being online. It's critical that today's kids are given the skills they need to protect themselves against identity theft and other, potentially more serious crimes. As Canada's largest publishers of youth magazines and having websites of our own, we feel it is our duty to address this reality and to help promote safe communication among kids on the Net." Featured in the spring '08 issue of POP! Magazine is an action-packed comic entitled Web of Deception, based on characters from Nelvana's popular kids' show, Grossology. The story follows Ty and Abby as they track down the evil culprit who has used the internet to steal Abby's identity and create havoc for the kids at Ringworm Junior High. The object of the comic is to inform kids in a lighthearted way about the dangers and deceptions that can occur online, while providing parents and educators with a relevant tool to open up the doors of communication regarding this important, and all-too often, ignored topic. Web of Deception is currently available in the spring '08 issue of POP! Magazine and can be downloaded at www.popmagazine.com. |
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“We are always looking at new ways to get kids to read. Given that computers are such a big part of tweens’ lives, it made sense to offer an electronic version of our magazine,” says Anne Lovegrove, Vice President and Associate Publisher at Paton Publishing. In addition to the 250,000 printed copies of each issue that are distributed, the YTV Whoa! e-zine will be sent electronically to 130,000 YTV.com subscribers, aged 8 to12. Advertisers such as Hasbro, Kellogg’s, Parmalat, Crayola, Warner Bros., Alliance Atlantis, Nintendo, Disney, Wonder Bread, Nickelodeon and Viz Media are enjoying the extended reach that our e-zine offers in addition to the printed circulation. YTV Whoa! is a colourful, off-beat entertainment magazine for kids aged 8 to 12, offering stories, games and information on all the things tweens care about: from movies and TV, to new products and celebrity gossip. The magazine and e-zine are created in partnership by Paton Publishing and YTV. YTV Whoa! is published four times a year, with 250,000 CCAB-audited copies per issue distributed primarily through Pizza Hut restaurants across Canada, and 130,000 copies sent out electronically to YTV.com subscribers. Whao!, the French version of YTV Whoa! is also published four times a year with 75,000 CCAB-audited copies per issue distributed. Paton Publishing, a division of Metroland Media Group, is Canada’s largest kids magazine publisher, as measured by CCAB. In addition to YTV Whoa! /Whao! magazine, Paton has been publishing POP! magazine since 1994, PowerPlay, the official youth magazine of the NHL and NHLPA, POP! Jr., a sister publication of POP! for kids aged 3 to 7, and The Grind about life, work, and everything in between. In addition to traditional publishing, Paton Publishing has developed several successful and innovative in-school programs for clients such as the NHL (in Canada and the US), the Florida Marlins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Blue Jays, BIC Stationery Products and Esso Imperial Oil in conjunction with the Canadian Hockey Association and most recently, the Canadian Olympic Committee. Paton has also custom published magazines for companies such as The Hockey Company-RUSH magazine, Eaton's – Kids Scoop, Swiss Chalet-POP! Free Time, and most recently, Ontario Power Generation. To view the YTV Whoa! e-zine, click on this link For more information contact Anne Lovegrove, Vice President and Associate Publisher at (416) 503-4576 ext. 226. |
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| Paton Publishing is excited to announce the launch of an e-zine for YTV Whoa! magazine. In addition to the traditional 250,000 printed copies of the magazine, we will be developing an electronic version to be e-mailed to over 130,000 ytv.com subscribers. YTV Whoa!’s English e-zine will include digital animations and other special features. To take advantage of this exciting opportunity, or to advertise in YTV Whoa!/Whao! (that now reaches over one million tweens), please contact Anne Lovegrove at 416.503.4576 ext.226 |
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| Paton Publishing is excited to announce its acquisition of Hockey Now. With separate publications serving BC, Alberta and Ontario, Hockey Now covers approximately 83 per cent of the vast grassroots hockey community in English-speaking Canada, with a total of 50 issues a year, delivering over 100,000 copies per month. With this acquisition, NHL PowerPlay magazine will bring together grassroots hockey and NHL coverage. Plans are underway to include a special NHL PowerPlay mid-season review in the February 2007 issue of Hockey Now. To advertise, please contact Anne Lovegrove at 416.503.4576 ext.226. |
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| Paton Publishing continues to be Canada's largest audited youth magazine publisher and youth marketing expert. Paton’s core publications include: POP!, YTV Whoa!/Whao!, Hockey Now and What's Up Kids magazines. Paton Publishing also creates curriculum-based in-school programs and is an established custom publisher for businesses and their brands. |
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