ST. PAUL
The Twin Cities-based Utne Reader will be moving to Kansas, though none of its current staff will be going with it.
The alternative magazine's seven editorial staff members heard in mid-November that the publication's owner, Ogden Publications, wants to consolidate the bimonthly's offices with those of its other eight magazines -- all in Topeka, Kan. The Utne Reader is the only magazine property owned by Ogden that's not located in Topeka.
The Utne Reader's editor in chief, David Schimke, said Monday that none of the current staff wanted to move -- though he estimated the publication likely wouldn't have had room for all of them anyway.
"They'll be downsizing the office significantly....My guess is they'll have three or four people, but with other publications there'll be some cross-work done," Schimke said.
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Founded by Eric Utne in 1984 as a sort of Reader's Digest of the alternative press, the magazine has seen a circulation decline to about 115,000 now, Schimke said. Schimke believes Ogden plans to cut the magazine's editorial budget in half, from $500,000 to $250,000.
The Utne Reader plans to publish two more issues and will close its Minneapolis offices in March after finishing the May-June issue.
Distributed by MCT Information Services
