CURIOSITY KILLED THE MAG
In September of 2002, PHILLY HEALTH AND FITNESS MAGAZINE was purchased from the Penn Media Group by a New Jersey-based entity named Curious Corp, whose owner, John Piccone, promptly discarded founder/publisher Jami Appenzeller and her staff. The next issue of the magazine shrank to half its former size. Curious Corp next tried changing the name of this remnant to DELAWARE VALLEY HEALTH AND FITNESS, but to no avail. This was the final issue (something Mr. Piccone must have known as he kept his name off the mast-head) of a once proud magazine which had been around for nearly a decade. The letter below was my response to this episode. It highlights a mournfully recurrent cycle in corporate greed and stupidity...
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30 December 2002
Dear Mr. Piccone,
A former writer and advertiser with PHILLY HEALTH & FITNESS MAGAZINE, I’ve watched the magazine’s disintegration over the past few months with a mixture of dread and fascination. Dread, because Jami Appenzeller had built PH&F from nothing and nurtured it into a well-known, respected and robust success, and immediately upon her forced egress (and that of her staff), PH&F withered. Fascination, because like many others, I knew I was watching something similar to the 1986 “New Coke” debacle and I marveled (as I had then) how people capable of such blatant folly could acquire the power and position to inflict it.
The saddest part about this is that Jami, a magnetic and
energetic dynamo with big dreams and a knack for dealing with people, had voiced
to me that she was actually looking forward to your support in taking the
magazine to greater heights. Instead, what she got was a kick in the teeth by an
aptly-named corporate entity whose fancy credentials belied a total lack of
knowledge of both the editorial and public-relations aspects of publishing. The
proof’s in the pudding…as soon as Jami and her people left, so did the
writers and advertisers. With no talent and expertise to keep things going, the
magazine, coasting on the residuals of Jami’s work, shrank to nothing, changed
its name, then vanished. And everyone knows why.
It was obvious to me what was going on even without
Jami’s having told me. I’d promised her an article -the third of a series on
female soccer- but didn’t get it to her in time for the September issue. Thus
“The Endless Season” fell into the hands of one Martha Wright who, despite
Jami’s pleadings not to fool with the text, made such a mess of it that I had
to withdraw it, out of potential embarrassment. If you doubt, even for a moment,
the ineptitude displayed in this editorial butchery, I can show you both
versions, and unless you’re semi-literate, you’ll actually concur with me.
In fact, the very first paragraph was wrenched into something which, had it even
made sense, was still a grammatical abomination. Money wasn’t an issue here…
I’d done most of these articles for nothing. But all summer I‘d promised
these young soccer-girls featured in this piece that they’d be seeing
themselves in the magazine. Ms. Wright’s written response to all this was that
I was “me-oriented” and that the girls were being punished by my
selfishness!
I’ve considered offering a story (“Curiosity Killed
the Mag”) on this whole sad episode to the INQUIRER or some other Philadelphia
periodical, but I doubt it would accomplish anything important.
Even Coca-Cola managed to admit they’d screwed up,
that “New Coke” was a bad idea, and that they actually deserved to
lose the billions it cost them to introduce and scuttle it. Even enormous
corporate egos couldn’t stand before obvious truth. I’m wondering if Curious
Corp, in what must be near its final throes, might be capable of the same. The
hallmark of any competent leader -government, military or business- is
exhibiting good judgment, gathering good people, and then getting the hell
out of the way so they can do their jobs. And when that leadership makes a
mistake, the ability to say, “We apologize, we screwed up, we’re ready to
listen to your suggestions…”
Jami recently told me that if she had PHILLY HEALTH AND
FITNESS back up and running -in her hands- she’d have it back to
profitability in less than six months. I believe her. A lot of damage has been
done to the name of PH&F, but Jami’s ability to resurrect it is not
questioned by those who know her. At the same time, she’s also allowed that
she’d never go back to work under the arrangement she’d left.
If Curious Corp. had any desire to try and salvage its
“New Coke” image, as well as the popular magazine it wrecked in full view
of the public, it would step out from behind the patently desperate
“we’re growing by leaps and bounds” corporate-speak, and beg (that’s
right, beg) Jami and her staff to come back and put PH&F together
again with complete editorial and operational autonomy, as well as appropriate
financial backing. As a number of
big-time corporate honchos discovered last year, the truth’s a bitter pill.
But the alternative is poison.
Sincerely,
Charles Peeples
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Postscript: This story has a happy ending. In September 2004, Jami launched a new magazine: PhillyFIT. She did it without corporate backing, with only the support of her family, friends and those whose trust and respect she'd earned over the years. And the each issue is a beauty, not only surpassing PH&F in appearance and content, but growing like a weed... a year later the magazine is 82 pages! Copies are snatched up rapidly from the stands. Everyone knows who Jami is -The Philadelphia Inquirer and other papers have given her and her magazine glowing write-ups. She's being offered TV and radio appearances. Her PhillyFIT Bashes draw huge crowds. JerseyFIT and other sister publications using Jami's "local-scene" formula are on the way. Advertisers and writers are clamoring to come aboard... it looks as though PhillyFIT's going to be around for a long time.
-Charles Peeples September 2005
For more information on PhillyFit: www.phillyfitmagazine.com JaLynnConcepts@aol/com 215 396-0268 Toll Free: 866-PhilFIT