Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 19, 1992 TAG: 9201190047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: E5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MIDLOTHIAN LENGTH: Medium
NEWS, BLUES AT VA. COLLEGES FOCUS OF NEW MAGAZINE
The publisher of a new magazine aimed at Virginia college students said he's planning similar ventures in Maryland and North Carolina.C. Mason Gates said his magazine, called "Gates," will be better-read than national publications aimed at college students.
"The publications put out on the national level are OK; they're well-designed and they have decent articles in them, but they're irrelevant to Virginia college students," Gates said.
"I don't want to read about Oregon students or Kansas State students. I want to read about schools where my friends are," he said.
The first issue of "Gates" showed up in racks on Virginia's college campuses last month. The magazine, which is distributed free, included stories about the rising costs of attending college in Virginia, the job-hunting blues, a Virginia band called "BS&M" - and about three pages of advertising.
That's alarmingly low for a 40-page magazine that relies entirely on ad revenues, but Gates is not concerned. He said ads are "picking up" for the January issue. He said his magazine is a "sure shot" because it allows advertisers to target a specific, attractive audience.
Gates, 27, is a native of Hopewell and a 1989 graduate of Radford University, where he was a marketing major. He is no stranger to establishing publications; as a student, he started an alternative campus newspaper, The Perspective, which lost money only on its first issue.
Gates founded Gates Publishing and Design Group Inc. of Midlothian, which also publishes annual reports, brochures and newsletters. He said he prefers the seat-of-the-pants atmosphere surrounding the magazine.
Take, for instance, the distribution of the first issue. Gates and the magazine's only other full-time staff member, managing editor Brian T. Ford, who graduated from the University of Virginia last spring, rented a van and took what amounted to a three-day road trip to deliver copies of the magazine to more than two dozen campuses.
"This is a business, but it's fun," Gates said. "With a lot of people coming and going, it's like a college newspaper office."
Launching a new magazine is a risky business, even in more stable economic times. But Gates said he is optimistic about the prospects for his monthly publication. A group of investors financed the magazine's start up.
He said he plans to maintain a low overhead. Students will contribute articles and photographs on a free-lance basis, which will keep his budget minimal and will give those students another line for their resumes.
Gates is hoping for an interactive magazine. His office has a toll-free number for students statewide to call with suggestions or complaints, and one of the magazine's regular features, a bulletin board, will enable students on different campuses to swap messages.