Newspaper Music

For quite some time now, I've been making Spotify playlists of songs mentioned in or inspired by articles in the magazines and newspapers I read. The practice might date back to my Media Diet email newsletter, seems to have become more formal and frequent in 2021, and became much more important and interesting to me when I moved to Portugal late last year.

After relocating, the effort served a three-fold purpose. In addition to reading Portuguese newspapers such as Correio da Manhã, Jornal de Notícias, Público, Expresso, Correio do Minho, and Diário do Minho, and magazines such as TV 7 Dias, TV Guia, Sábado, and Visão for local, regional, and national news, as well as learning the language, it also offered a crash course in Portuguese popular music—past and present. Portuguese newspapers and magazines do a good job covering local arts activities, including upcoming concerts, festivals, and other events—with a strong focus on Portuguese musicians in addition to touring international acts.

When compiling the playlists, which can take some time, I apply several "rules." If a song isn't named explicitly but a musician or musical group is, I pick one of the most-played songs on Spotify—unless I've previously included it in a similar playlist. If a song is named explicitly by title, I include that song—even if it results in including more than one song from a particular musician or band. Otherwise, I try to include one song per musician or band (or composer, in the case of classical music). I tend to try to include album cuts rather than single edits, live versions, or songs from best-of anthologies or compilations, though I sometimes rely on such records for expedience. And if a song has been remastered, I try to include the most recent remaster. That might seem like a lot of hoo-hah, but I think it results in me including a definitive version of a song. Whatever that means.

If I can't find a musician or band—or if I'm unable to determine which musical group is the band in question—I exclude the track, so not everything covered by the press ends up on the playlist. And when I finish the playlist, I share it as an Instagram Story. I don't really pay any attention to whether anyone else saves the playlist in Spotify, which seems the strongest signal indicating that others are also listening.

While compiling the most recent week's playlist—Newspaper Music: Week of July 20, 2026—which I finished yesterday, the enormity of the task and result struck me. (It makes sense that I've taken a couple of months off!) This week's playlist weighs in at 375 songs, or more than 24 hours of music. That's a far cry from compiling a 60- or 90-minute mix tape. 

I've already stopped doing this on a weekly basic—I don't always read all the papers and magazines every week, there are other ways to spend time in a new country, and, more importantly, I don't always listen to all of the songs and pieces myself. So I'm going to institute a new rule: I will compile the next Newspaper Music playlist once I've listened to all of the most recent playlist myself. I've been missing out on the true value of the musical education component of this practice: Experiencing the actual music.

If you'd like to check out some of the other playlists I've compiled along these lines, here are some additional links:

Media Diet 20210619 | Media Diet 20210905 | Media Diet 20211009 | Media Diet 20211205 | Media Diet 20220312 | Media Diet 20220416 | Media Diet 20220522 | The Week That Will Be 20220621 | Songs of the Weekend 20230409 | Week of 20241104 | Week of Feb. 3, 2025 | Week of May 12, 2025 | Week of Dec. 22, 2025 | Newspaper Music w/o Jan. 5, 2026 | Newspaper Music: Feb. 16, 2026 | Newspaper Music: March 23, 2026

I believe you can access even more playlists here.

Writers Wanted: Fifth Estate magazine

The next edition of Fifth Estate will continue as an Anarchist Review of Books. The issue will also include essays, fiction, and poetry. If you're interested in contributing, Fifth Estate's deadline for submissions is July 1 with a publication date of August 1. Review their Writer’s Guidelines and consider submitting something!

Travel Reading

Earlier this week, I received the prototype issue of a new magazine planned by 8020 Publishing, the San Francisco-based business behind JPG Magazine. Titled Everywhere, the magazine's tagline is "Travel is all around you," and that seems to be a solid theme throughout: Place matters.

This prototype issue is edited by one Todd Lappin, the man behind Telstar Logistics, a member of the Well, and one-time editor at Business 2.0 and Wired. The man's got cred!

I had some time to spend with the magazine this evening, and it's an interesting read. Like Monocle, they map their content in the front of the book so you can pick your bits geographically if so inclined. But otherwise, all places are roughly equal to another, and there's a heavy international angle. The magazine's about finding yourself places, and what it means -- and how it feels -- to find yourself there. It's not travel how to, and it's not adventure travel. It's more like being travel. Wherever you are, there you go. Do, be, do, be, do.

My favorite items included pieces on old postcards and re-photography, the Postcards section (akin to JPG somewhat), the "Tokyo People Watching" article and accompanying guide to street food lanterns, the "Geeky Tucson" and "Tumbleweed Tucson" companion pieces, the Dan Gillmor gear bag roundup, and the mention of the Point It book (I agree; it's a necessity.).

Given Everywhere's relationship to JPG, it's little surprise the mag is as photo heavy as it is. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it would be neat to get some more writing in there. And maybe even some more resource listings. The blog mentions are OK, but it'd be good to highlight some of the Yelp-style hotspots in some of the locations, if possible.

Still, I'm a growing fan of 8020's Web-meets-print community publishing model, and if JPG and Everywhere are at all successful, the model is highly extensible. Not to encourage them to spread themselves too thin too soon, but picture, if you will, similarly styled periodicals on cooking, parenting, and other lifestyle-oriented themes. Pretty cool possibilities!

Old School New Economy PR Guidelines

The recent online discussion about Wired editor Chris Anderson's "outing" of lazy PR people inspired me to dig up some PR guidelines I wrote for Fast Company magazine in the late '90s.

They're no longer on the magazine's Web site because they were linked off my team bio page and I no longer work there, but they might still be interesting and useful. Courtesy of my friend Paul, I'm reprinting them here verbatim (sans some URLs), as they once appeared on the site. Some of the new economy speak might seem quaint, but take what you will.

Caveat: I no longer work for Fast Company. Please don't email me pitches for the magazine.

Heath's PR Guidelines

Do you work in public relations? Do you want to pitch Heath a story for Fast Company? Here's how.

Do you work in public relations? Do you want to pitch Fast Company magazine a story? Do you want to do so in the most efficient, welcome, and successful way? Here's how.

In the new world of work, time is a precious commodity. Here at Fast Company, it's no different -- and it might be in even shorter supply. As we work to find the stories we want to tell, we frequently work with public relations professionals. Those relationships can be productive and rewarding -- even fun. They can also be inefficient, frustrating, and unproductive.

If you work in PR and travel in circles that overlap Fast Company's, you've probably pitched us a story, client company, or person to profile at one time or another. You've also probably tried to schedule a conference call or a meeting in our offices. And I'm sure you've learned that it's not easy. We're pretty clear, driven, and focused on the kinds of stories we want to tell. As you are. And when those needs don't overlap, it can be a challenge.

This page is intended to help you hit us harder -- more directly, with more focus, and more in line with the work we do. However, even if you do everything I suggest on this page, I can't guarantee that you'll succeed. We move at a pretty fast clip, and windows of opportunity close as fast as they open. Sometimes, timing can be everything. But there are things you can do to work smarter with us. Here's the short course.

***

Know the magazine
If you've never read an issue of Fast Company, don't even bother calling or emailing us. Please. Read the magazine. If you can't find a copy on your local newsstand or in your office, check out our Web site. I'd give you the URL, but you're already here. That's a good thing.

There are also Web resources you can use to better acquaint yourself with the kinds of stories we tell, how, and why. [The press section] can serve as a basic introduction to the magazine: who the founding editors are, why they started Fast Company, and what we've done to date. The [Fast Company Mission Statement] outlines the goals of the magazine. Our [writers' guidelines] aren't just useful for freelancers; they can help you cast your pitches in the language we speak. And our [media kit] expands on our mission, the magazine's market, and more.

Lastly, [the resources section] can direct you to descriptions of the magazine's core themes, section and feature types, and examples of the Big Idea pieces we've run. It's helpful to know how we organize the magazine and categorize the stories we publish.

***

Know the staff
If you want your pitch to reach the right staff member, be sure to acquaint yourself with the people on the Fast Company team. Our [team roster] lists everyone involved in the day-to-day workings of the magazine and Web site. By clicking on team members' names, you can access the person's profile page, which offers information on their background, role at the magazine -- and for some staff, a roundup of articles they've contributed. The [directory of Fast Company email addresses] can also help you figure out whom to email about what. Use these pages to determine who does what kinds of pieces -- and pitch accordingly.

***

Know how to work with us
I'm sure everyone at Fast Company has their own pet peeves about and ideas for how PR people can do their jobs better, but mine are probably pretty good advice to follow when dealing with everyone on the FC team. Some of these tips are small beer, granted, but they'll make your -- and our -- jobs easier.

1. Email is king

If you can email us information, it's always preferred as the first point of contact. There's no need to waste paper, energy, and time sending faxes or snail mail if you can email something. If you email us, please try to direct your email to the most appropriate person on staff. Realize that our staff is small, that we all like each other, and that we all talk to each other -- if you email everyone on staff, it doesn't necessarily increase your chances of getting in the magazine. If you email us, do not attach documents to your email; if it's worth emailing, it's worth emailing in the body of your message. Personally, I don't like downloading attachments, don't like them taking up space on my hard drive, and don't read them. Please don't send them to me. If you email us, do not use that little receipt requested function. I never send a receipt to notify people that I got their email, and it's not necessary -- it's the Net; it works. Most of the time. And if you email us, do not fax it to us, mail it to us, or call us on the telephone to see whether we got your email. We did. And if we need to get in touch with you, we will track you down like hunting dogs. (We're the dogs, not you. The dogs are hunting.)

2. Phones aren't always fun

Like I said above, if you email us, you don't need to call us to follow up on the email. In fact, phone pitches are rarely productive or efficient. More often than not, the whole time you're talking, I'm thinking, "I'd rather just read this," and then when you pause to inhale, I'll ask you to email me what you just said anyway. Similarly, phone briefings are also rarely productive or efficient. I never take them. I'd rather read a news release. And if I'm working on a story that your client will fit in to, I'll schedule a one-on-one, focused interview. If that happens, please don't shepherd the interview call. We'll need the source's phone number eventually for fact checking, and I'd rather call them directly than have you call me or conference call us all in. Likewise, if that does happen, please don't use the speakerphone. I can't understand everything people say, it's harder to distinguish voices if there's more than one person in the room, and if I'm taping the interview, it's harder to transcribe. Whine, whine, I know, but it's bothersome.

3. Meetings aren't always neat -- or needed

Every month, I get about 100 meeting requests and invitations from people. As much as I like meeting people face to face -- heck, I'm the staff coordinator for the Company of Friends -- meetings aren't always necessary. Most people who want to meet with us are on a media or analyst tour. That means that they've got an agenda, a PowerPoint slide presentation, and a limited message they want to send. Sometimes, that's fine -- like when I'm working on In Gear and want to demo a new tool or technology. But most of the time, it's a waste of time. We don't do product news. We don't do merger news. But we do want to learn about what your company does, how the organization works, and who its thought leaders and change agents are. Be ready to scrap the slides and talk to us like people talk to each other -- freeform, flowing, fun. If you need PowerPoint to get your message across, you're sending the wrong message.

Also, be on time. When we schedule meetings, we often tuck them in to an already-busy day. Most of the time, I set aside 45-60 minutes for meetings with visitors. If you're late, we have less time to talk. Our offices can be a challenge to find because of the Big Dig, but that's why we provide [maps and directions].

And to back up some, when requesting a meeting, please be clear about who's coming, when, and why -- in fact, put all that at the top of your email. I can't even count how many meeting opportunities I've missed because I had to hunt for the visitors' availability details, got frustrated, and set the email aside to read later.

***

That's not so bad, is it? If it is, I'm sorry. I'm not an ogre. Really. But I do have a lot of work to do, and I know that you do, too. Let's work together.

Seems like there are some consistent, common frustrations among high-profile journalists and editors. In the end, I think it comes down to knowing what a publication covers, knowing how to reach out to, and how. Can that be that hard?

Optimal Subscriptions

According to Advertising Age, Paste magazine is running a subscription promotion in which subscribers can set their own price.

While traveling recently, I picked up an issue of Paste, primarily to gauge its range of music coverage -- and to take advantage of the sampler CD included in the issue. This might be the best part of this subscription promo. Every issue of Paste comes with a sampler CD so you can listen to select musicians and bands featured in a given issue.

That means that whatever price you pay, you get 12 issues of Paste, as well as 12 CDs. That's attractive. So I just signed up. They've set the floor at $1, and people who pay full price will supposedly be named in an upcoming issue. I split the middle and ponied up $10, which is more than fair. I was tempted to pay full price -- I did, after all, have a subscription card filled out and ready to mail that I ended up not sending -- but I didn't want to inflate the expectations of experiments like this.

A good number of people will pay full price -- $19.95 for 12 issues and 12 CDs. And a good number may go for the $1 steal. I'd be curious to see what the bell curve ends up looking like. What's the average price going to be?

Best of luck, Paste. It's a neat thing to try.

Cracked-ing Up

Last week, I got an item in the mail that surprised and confused me. Not that long ago, a team of people revitalized and relaunched Cracked magazine, perhaps Mad's biggest and longest-running competitor, as a humor magazine more attuned to standup and the old National Lampoon than serial humor comics. Now, after three issues, that experiment has ended.

From the mailing:

Dear Cracked Magazine Reader:

I am sad to say that Cracked Magazine is no more.

Several years ago, we purchased Cracked with the hope to bring it back as a sophisticated version of the original publication. We upgraded the editorial and made it more contemporaneous. We brought in new writers and added a web site. We upgraded the production quality and the distribution. However, to make a long story short -- the magazine failed in large part due to troubles in the magazine business itself. However, on a brighter note, the Cracked website succeeded and will live on under the auspices of Demand Media -- its new owner.

For those current subscribers to Cracked, Teshkeel Media will be fulfilling its subscription responsibilities by delivering copies of The 99 -- a new comic book super hero series. Please checkout Teshkeel and its products at www.teshkeelcomics.com.

All of Cracked readers will, of course, still have the option to go to the Cracked website to enjoy the new re-invigorated Cracked in its digital format at: www.cracked.com.

We want to thank our loyal readers who have enthusiastically cheered us on in our effors to recreate the magazine and who have helped us create the new website.

Thanks to all of you -- Cracked will now live on due to your efforts!

Sincerely,
Marc Liu
COO
Cracked Entertainment

I guess I'm not that surprised that the magazine folded. Humor magazines have historically had a hard slog on the newsstand. But the choice of subscription fulfillment replacement is intriguing. The 99 is a popular superhero comic book series in the Middle East, and its writing is heavily influenced by Islam. So the series' launch in the United States is interesting. Similarly, the publisher, Teshkeel, also publishes Marvel, DC, and Archie comics translated into Arabic.

While the replacement is even less appropriate than Enter magazine subscribers having to ride out on 3-2-1 Contact after Enter folded, it's a fascinating example of global publishing and cross-cultural licensing.

What's the Big Idea?

The Adbusters staff is currently considering what to include in the magazine's upcoming Big Ideas 2008 issue -- and they'd like our help.

What are the Big Ideas that will change the world in 2008? Send us your epiphanies, articles, photographs, artwork, whatever. -- the bigger and bolder they are, the better.

We'd also like your help in putting together a "Best of 2007" section. Who do you think are the best artists of the year, the greatest journalists who broke the most important stories? The book that really inspired you... or the film, the song, the activist, the product, the whistleblower, the environmentalist?

You can email your contributions to the magazine directly. If/when I come up with my list, I'll be sure to post it here, in Media Diet.

From Pylon to the Prospect

Ate lunch at Artu today with Robin Hutson, the new publisher of the American Prospect. She moved to Boston from New York City after working at Lingua Franca, and even though she's only been here three months, she already has a lot of ideas on how to refresh the Prospect's look and feel, how to better engage new readers, and how the Prospect might be able to connect a community of like-minded political thinkers and activists around the country. Better yet, Robin's got a zine background. Growing up in Tennessee, she edited a straight-edge punk and hardcore fanzine called Pylon. Unfortunately, even Robin has no back issues available. For shame!