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Interviews with news makers and discussion of topics important to Southwest Michigan. Subscribe to the podcast through Apple itunes and Google. Segments of interview are heard in WestSouthwest Brief during Morning Edition and All Things Considered

WSW: New Magazine Focuses on Families in Kalamazoo

Encore Publications

FYI will become available August 15th. Editor Tiffany Fitzgerald says the magazine will feature family-oriented stories. 

She says that includes possible family activities, and a feature story in every issue where local experts address issues that concern parents. 

Fitzgerald says the target audience is parents, grandparents and caregivers in the Kalamazoo area. She says FYI will fill a void in the Kalamazoo area. She says parents want a "hyper local" parenting magazine. 

FYI is being published by Encore Publications. Encore Editor Marie Lee says FYI will have a different focus. She says the new magazine will address the concerns that parents and other caregivers have about their children. Lee says "Encore really couldn't go there." 

Fitzgerald will do most of the reporting and writing for FYI. But she says they are seeking contributions and will have a section that features stories and artwork from children. 

FYI will be free of charge. Lee says it will be available in 150 different locations around Kalamazoo. She says the website will go active on the same day that the magazine becomes available (August 15th)

Despite the well-documented problems of newspapers, Lee says research shows that magazines are growing. She says they have staying power because they can be digital and in print. Lee says FYI could not reach the same number of people if there were only online. She says it's hard for people to find publications that are only available on the web. 

Lee says Encore has expanded its online presence. She says the analytics show that younger people are reading the web version of the magazine. But Lee says Encore's distribution is increasing. She says people still like to have a printed magazine, that they can hold and read. 

Gordon Evans became WMUK's Content Director in 2019 after more than 20 years as an anchor, host and reporter. A 1990 graduate of Michigan State, he began work at WMUK in 1996.
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