New editors, layoffs at Canadian biz magazines

Rogers Media Inc. has shuffled the senior ranks of its business and finance magazines in Canada in an effort to cut costs, reports James Bradshaw of The Globe and Mail.

Bradshaw writes, “Duncan Hood will be the new editor-in-chief at MoneySense, and also assumes a new role as director of personal finance for Rogers Publishing. He will be responsible for expanding personal finance coverage across all of the company’s brands, including in magazines such as Chatelaine and Today’s Parent.

“Filling Mr. Hood’s former role as editor-in-chief at Canadian Business is deputy editor James Cowan, who joined the magazine nearly five years ago. Jonathan Chevreau leaves the editor-in-chief’s job at MoneySense, but will stay with the magazine as editor-at-large, focusing more on writing and speaking.

“The changes announced Wednesday in an internal memo from Steve Maich, senior vice-president and general manager of publishing at Rogers, also eliminated three jobs at Canadian Business. The Globe and Mail confirmed through a spokesperson that the people affected were managing editor Conan Tobias, senior writer Matthew McClearn and online editor Trevor Melanson.

“‘Frankly, it was primarily about cost savings,’ Mr. Maich said of the job losses, noting in an interview that both magazines have ‘been performing quite well.'”

Read more here.