Heritage Canada to make changes to CMF and PAP

Heritage Canada is restructuring the CanadaMagazine Fund (CMF), as well as the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), in an effort to address apparent inequities. Changes could include the amount of funding received, how assistance can be spent, and even program eligibility.
The CMF has received $45 million from Heritage Canada to support editorial content, arts and literary magazines, business development for magazine publishers, and industry development for this year and last.
Current CMF guidelines allow more money for bigger and wealthier publications but do not necessarily assist the publications with smaller circulations, publications with lower subscription rates, or online editions of magazines.
For example, Maclean’s and Chatelaine received over $400,000 and $200,000 from the fund between April 2006 and 2007. But do others receive commensurate funding? What about online cousins?
The CMF does not currently consider the e-zine in the same category as the traditional print magazine, and although part of the fund can go towards development of a print magazine’s website, online-only magazines are left out in the cold.
CMF team leader Gary MacLean assures MagWorld that the e-zine issue will be on the table as Heritage Canada undergoes major changes.
“I am sure funding of online magazines will be raised at these meetings,” MacLean says.
Heritage Canada asked every publication that currently receives funding under the CMF for input before deciding on changes. Consultations were done in a variety of ways such as over the phone and in person.
MacLean cautions hopeful online magazine editors that it may be some time before we know what changes were made. Even then, they may not be implemented until April 2009 at the earliest.
No matter what changes are made to the CMF and PAP, it won’t hurt the Canadian magazine industry, says Jim Everson, executive director of public affairs for Magazines Canada, trade association for consumer magazines. “I am confident that there will be some improvements. However, the formula is working well. I wouldn’t do much to change it.”
Details of the changes, however, will be very important and determine how publications would do business, Everson says, adding that if Heritage Canada changes even the simplest procedures, it impacts how companies run their magazines and budgets, “The devil is in the details. “If the size of support will continue on, I see it only as an improvement.”