A New Arts and Lifestyle Magazine for Western Massachusetts
Easthampton, MA and Hartford, CT, April 13, 2006 – New Mass. Media, Inc., publishers of the Advocate chain of alternative newsweeklies, announce the publication of a new monthly magazine covering the arts, culture and life of Western Massachusetts.
Crisply designed, Preview Massachusetts will be the region’s first full-color, glossy monthly and will present a mix of editorial content including a six-week event calendar and rich mix of regular monthly features. Based on New Mass. Media’s existing successful title, Preview Connecticut, the Massachusetts edition will serve as a complement to the extensive listings, news and features that appear weekly in the Valley Advocate (www.valleyadvocate.com). Preview Massachusetts will also be available on the web at www.previewmass.com.
The 48-page May issue will be distributed on April 28th. With an initial circulation of 30,000, Preview Massachusetts will be available for free at select finer retailers, restaurants, arts venues and hotels in Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties in Western Massachusetts. The magazine will also be home delivered to Hartford Courant subscribers in Northern Connecticut and Hampden County.
“We’ve seen strong, steady growth both in advertising revenue and an increasingly expanding receptive audience for Preview Connecticut over the last four years,” said Janet Reynolds, group publisher of the Hartford and Valley Advocate and both Preview titles. “We saw this as the time to expand on success with this launch.”
“People’s leisure time has changed over the last decade,” she continued. “It used to be that only ‘foodies’ would drive an hour to search out an excellent restaurant for dinner – now many more people will do just that. We saw a great opportunity to provide a publication to that adventurous audience that gets in their cars and seeks out the best that Western Massachusetts has to offer.”
The cover of the premiere issue features an interview with global artist/local resident Kim Gordon, bass and guitar player in the legendary rock/experimental & punk band Sonic Youth. Also included in the first issue’s arts coverage are profiles of Shakespeare & Co.’s Elizabeth Aspenleider, glassblower Josh Simpson and a peek at “Dutch Treats” at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Also in the May issue, Preview Massachusetts’s music writers take a look at the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra and surf-rock veteran Dick Dale. Caroline Pam goes on a field trip to the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland to see why it is one of the region’s prime food destinations. The first appearances of monthly columns on wine, health and wellness, finance, cars and homes in the region round out the offerings.
Preview Massachusetts will be unveiled at an invitation-only launch party presented by V One Vodka at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on April 27th. Beginning at 7:00 PM, the event will transform the museum into the area’s largest cocktail lounge for one night as guests enjoy a V One Vodka tasting bar, Brahma Brazilian beer and music by DJ Hush, of Mother Tongue Productions.
New Mass. Media, Inc. has been the leading alternative publisher in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut for over 30 years. Through its four alternative newsweeklies (Valley, Hartford & New Haven Advocate, Fairfield County Weekly) two magazine titles (Preview Connecticut and Preview Massachusetts) and theater program publishing, NMM publications circulate close to 1M copies monthly and deliver a totally unique media footprint that reaches from Southern Vermont to New York City. More information on New Mass. Media may be obtained at www.newmassmedia.com.
Media Contact:
Michael Kusek, Marketing Coordinator
New Mass. Media, Inc.
413.529.2840 x 215
413.575.1435 (if on deadline)
mkusek@valleyadvocate.com
