A little-known fact is that Frontiers magazine, one of the largest and most successful gay publications in the country, was originally a West coast spin-off of Colorado's own Out Front Colorado, itself one of the oldest GLBT publications in the country.Michael K. Lavers, writing for Press Pass Q, reports about the merge of In Los Angeles and Frontiers:
As media outlets continue to face a decline in advertising revenue and other recession-induced realities, two of Southern California’s largest LGBT publications have merged.
In Los Angeles and Frontiers co-publisher David Stern announced in a letter to readers last month that he and co- publisher Mark Hundahl would combine the two magazines into Frontiers-IN Los Angeles. The revamped publication hit newsstands and online on Feb. 25.
“I will not be so bold as to think that anybody reading this [letter] doesn’t also know that the current and temporary state of the economy was a factor in helping us make this decision,” Stern said. “Of course it was, but as you can tell by everything you’ve read above, it was certainly not the [only] factor.”
He added that he feels combining the two publications is the right decision..
“As we move into this realm of combined content and we look at the print editions of IN Los Angeles and Frontiers, it only makes sense that they combine also,” Stern said.
Frontiers launched in April 1981 while IN Los Angeles debuted in March 1998. IN Publications purchased Frontiers Publishing in 2007.
Karen Ocamb and Dana Miller are among the reporters and columnists whose work has regularly appeared in IN Los Angeles over the last decade. Ocamb said she feels optimistic over the merger.
“Given the economy and the new website we expect to debut this summer, I think this move to merge Frontiers and IN magazines is a good and logical one,” said Ocamb. “Frontiers launched just before the CDC announced what became the HIV/AIDS crisis and has an historic resonance. In recent years, it became more lifestyle oriented. IN Los Angeles was newsier and with more entertainment, so the combined editorial is essentially the best of both worlds in a magazine format."
Stern also announced that the company would launch a new licensed iPhone application this spring called MYGAYGO in conjunction with Frontiers Yellow Page Multi-Media Directory’s 2009 edition.
“We are very excited about this project and think you will be, too,” Stern said. “This website will be a one-stop source of content for Southern California’s LGBT community.”
