How’s 2008? Disaster For Newspapers, Magazines and Radio

Sadly, newspapers have found some companions in despair, as magazines and radio are now in the same economic boat. Unfortunately, the boat is sinking. Here’s a round-up of the troubled traditional trifecta.

On Wednesday, The New York Times Co. announced another round of dismal second-quarter results, with total ad revenues falling 10.6% compared to the same period in 2007. That contributed to an overall revenue decline of 6%, to $741.9 million.

NYTCO’s revenue declines follow similarly dismal second-quarter results from other newspaper publishers like Gannett, where publishing ad revenues fell 13.3% to $1.11 billion, and Media General, with newspaper ad revenues down 17.1%. McClatchy’s results–due out Thursday–will not be much better, judging by revenue declines of 14.8% in April and 15.1% in May.

Magazines and radio are not doing quite as badly, but there’s no question they are also suffering.
Of 36 weekly magazines tracked by MIN Online, ad pages have fallen at 29, or about 80%, for the year-to-date. Double-digit declines hit 14, or about 39%, including big titles like BusinessWeek, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, The New Yorker, Newsweek, Time and U.S. News and World Report.

Meanwhile, of 169 monthly titles tracked by MIN through June, 121 (about 72%) have seen ad pages fall for the year-to-date, with double-digit declines at 59 (about 35%). Big monthlies that are experiencing double-digit declines include Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking Light, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, Health, Home, Lucky and Vanity Fair.

According to MIN’s figures through June, biweeklies ESPN Magazine, Forbes and Rolling Stone are also suffering double-digit declines.

At this rate, 2008 is certain to see more magazines close. Titles already closed this year include: Golf for Women, Quick and Simple, American Jewish Life, Future Snowboarding, Mass Appeal and Luxury Spa Finder.

The turmoil in magazines is also reflected in the sudden turnover among top executives at a slew of big publishers. These include the surprise resignation of Victor F. Ganzi, who is stepping down as president and CEO of the Hearst Corp. due to “irreconcilable policy differences with the Board of Trustees about the future direction of the company,” and the departure of Jack Kliger as CEO of Hachette Filipacchi Media on Sept. 1.

Radio rounds out the traditional crew, with alarming revenue declines for the year-to-date–far in excess of what radio groups or independent analysts predicted. In the first quarter, total revenues fell 5% to about $4.5 billion, followed by monthly declines of 1% in April, 8% in May, and 9% in June (quarterly totals are not yet available).

While all three mainstays of the traditional media have scrambled to adapt to the digital age with more online features and services, their Internet businesses still contribute just a small fraction of total revenues. Even more ominous, the rate of growth in online revenues is slowing, making it unlikely that they will ever be able to offset losses in the core business.

For example, NYTCO’s total online revenues grew 12.8% in the second quarter to $91.3 million, contributing about 12% of the total. Meanwhile, the rate of growth is just about half of what it was for the same comparison period in 2006-2007, when it grew 23.4% to $80.9 million.

The amount of dollars added each year also shrank, from $15.3 million last year to $10.4 million this year. Media General’s interactive revenues grew 13.7% to $10.6 million–significantly slower than the 44.5% growth rate of second-quarter 2007.

Magazine and radio groups are more secretive about their digital revenue figures, but outside analysts have provided some sobering figures. In a report titled “Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2008-2012,” PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts online magazine revenues in the U.S. of $560 million, or less than 4% of total ad revenues of $14.56 billion. Even with a robust annual growth rate of 47.7%, that means digital revenues will be $2.4 billion in 2012, or just 13% of a total $18.4 billion.

Most radio groups also guard information about their digital revenues, making it difficult to know whether an individual company is doing better or worse than average. However, looking at the industry as a whole, Wachovia analyst Marci Ryvicker wrote in her roundup after the SNL/Kagan Radio/TV Summit: “We are at least five (if not 10) years away before new media/digital opportunities have any financial significance in the broadcast space.” According to Ryvicker and other analysts, online businesses probably contributed just 2% of radio’s total revenues in 2007.

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Blu Water Day Spa Featured in Bethesda Magazine

Blu Water Day Spa, a full service and eco-friendly day spa, is gaining local popularity as it was recently featured in Bethesda Magazine.

Blu Water Day Spa, a full service, eco-friendly day spa was recently featured in Bethesda Magazine. The bi-monthly magazine reaches those living in the Bethesda area and provides information on dining, real estate, entertainment, home design and décor, community issues, art and people.

The article titled “Women in Business” profiles Julie Nguyen, the CEO of Blu Water Day Spa. The profile explains how Nguyen got into the industry and provides information on

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Larkspur opens health and wellness spa

Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants, the rapidly growing company headquartered in Larkspur, California, unveils its first health and wellness spa at the historic Casa Munras hotel in Monterey, California. Providing Larkspur’s signature “warm and inviting” atmosphere, SANO Spa offers a serene and tranquil refuge through customized services, relaxation alcoves, spacious treatment rooms, and an intimate Spa Garden.

Taking inspiration from the word Sano, meaning “health”, SANO Spa’s services are centered around supporting each guest’s personalized journey to greater wellness. Says Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants Chairman, Karl Hoagland, “Larkspur continually strives to develop new ways to create extraordinary experiences for our guests and creating a place for wellness appeared to be a natural next step. We are very excited to introduce SANO Spa into our growing portfolio.”

Adding to the theme of greater health and wellness, SANO Spa’s contemporary “light and airy” design concept, (made possible by GGLO, LLC) creates an overall feeling of serenity that is executed with the use of soft yellows and taupes, and offset by dark, rich wood cabinetry.
Some of the spa’s unique amenities and design features include:

Four spacious treatment rooms; one room accommodating parties of up to six people Four relaxation alcoves providing privacy and seating for two to four people Preloaded iPods with a selection of SANO Spa playlists, provided to all guests upon check-in Intimate outdoor Spa Garden complete with a whirlpool, fire-pit, and an outdoor shower Specialty SANO Spa menu providing guests the opportunity to order light bites from Estéban, Casa Munras’ award-winning destination restaurant.

SANO spa offers a wide variety of services including massage therapy, body treatments, skin care and waxing. Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants is looking into developing further spa brands over the next several years.

ABOUT SANO SPA

SANO Spa, a Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants property, is set in the premier coastal town of Monterey, California at the historic Casa Munras hotel. The hotel features 171 rooms, including 51 fireplace suite-style rooms and offers an intimate historic atmosphere in idyllic year-round weather.

SANO Spa is open daily, Monday-Saturday from 9:00am to 9:00pm and Sundays from 10:00am to 6:00pm.

ABOUT LARKSPUR HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Established in 1996, Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants is a rapidly growing company headquartered in Larkspur, California, just north of San Francisco. Larkspur boasts a portfolio of 23 hotels, including three distinct hotel brands: Larkspur Landing, Larkspur Hotels and The Larkspur Collection along with six exciting destination restaurants. All Larkspur hotels offer the signature FeatherBorne bed package, upgraded amenities, high-tech efficiencies and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Each

Larkspur restaurant is designed to blend into its local setting, deliver creative culinary concepts,
innovative design and exceptional culinary techniques. Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants is driven by its belief and commitment to Genuine Hospitality - delivering warm, friendly and personalized experiences to its guests.

The Larkspur Landing brand provides extended stay accommodations with a host of complimentary services and conveniences designed with today’s business traveler in mind. Larkspur Hotels is a three-star brand which breaks the mold of large chain-hotels by offering charm and personality, while delivering great value, comfort and excellent service. The Larkspur Collection is a premium collection of hotels, each of which offers its own unique, individual experience, complementing the local flavor of the surrounding area. The Larkspur Collection focuses on delivering a sensorial guest experience, upscale amenities and exceptional service.

The company’s most recent addition is SANO Spa at the Casa Munras hotel in Monterey, California, which is scheduled to open June 2008.

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Simonson’s Salon Makes Exclusive List of Top 25 Women-Owned Businesses
Company makes 2008 Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal listing for fourth time

Simonson’s Salon & Day Spa has made the exclusive 2008 “Top 25 List of Women-Owned Businesses” for the fourth time. The list, which Simonson’s Salon also made in 2004, 2005 and 2006, is published by The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. Simonson’s Salon & Day Spa is the only Twin Cities salon to be included on the list.

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Spa-music makers seek respect for music that melts away

Malibu’s Gemini Sun is among labels whose music helps set the mood for soothing treatments.
In countless spa treatment rooms, therapists knead muscles and array rocks on chakras to the sound of tinkling chimes, muffled chants and meandering guitars.

The person lying under the sheets likely will emerge from the treatment calm and relaxed, still smelling the scented massage lotions, but with virtually no recollection of the music wafting through the room. And some would say that’s a blessing. One man’s soothing soundtrack “performed using organic flutes” and “inspired by the power and magic of crystals” is another’s didgeridoo torture.

Ubiquitous, and striving to be inconspicuous, so-called spa music — perhaps the only genre that counts itself successful when it manages not to annoy — struggles for recognition, definition and, in the mainstream, respect. Millions know who tops the pop charts, but only the devoted can name the stars who show up in New Age Reporter, which tracks the Internet and radio airplay for the top 100 New Age, ambient or world music albums, or guess which collection of whale songs or harp electronica will appear on the Coalition of Visionary Resources’ CD of the year.

The best snapshot of the genre may be Billboard’s New Age and world charts, which map a parallel universe where labels such as Malibu’s Gemini Sun are major players. The fastest-growing and most significant spa music label in Southern California, Gemini Sun was founded six years ago by Nicholas Gunn, a classically trained platinum-selling flutist and former fashion model.

For 55 weeks running, songs by Gemini Sun artists have been among the top 15 on Billboard’s New Age chart, Gunn says. And the label’s new release, “Echoes of Light and Shadow” by David Arkenstone, a three-time Grammy nominee, hit the No. 7 slot on the New Age Reporter chart earlier this month.

“As crazy as it may seem,” Gunn says with a hint of sarcasm, “there are people who actually care about this stuff.”

His brand of music, he adds, “is alive and well, but not in the mainstream consciousness.” Most often, it’s sold on the Web at Amazon.com He’s signed contracts with veteran musicians from around the world who are creating music to be heard inside or outside spa walls. Culled from New Age, Celtic, world, ambient, chill, Native American and other categories, it’s a genre Gunn calls “lifestyle music.”

“It’s a style of music that lets you unwind and reflect,” he says. Gunn is one of its champions, but he’s not exactly eager to be part of the club that calls him a member. For years, Gemini Sun’s catalog, which includes Gunn’s albums, has been lumped with those of other artists by distributors who sell packages to spas, hotels and yoga studios. “But every other song is something we cringe at,” Gunn says, running down the catalog of New Age sins: soulless, computerized passages; flat, minimalist melodies; poor musicianship. “We can’t believe we’re being put in that mix,” he says. “It lowers the acceptability of the genre.”

Lately, however, Gunn’s label is gathering albums created expressly for the spa experience. He’s been selling a new Spa Cents program that he likens to Netflix for spa music. He’s licensed the United Kingdom’s Paul Lawler, who composes and performs music to accompany healing arts, notably his CDs “True Reiki,” “True Chakras” and “True Champissage: Indian Head Massage.” (You don’t see a lot of “SexyBacks” in this genre.)

In a coup, Gemini Sun recently became the exclusive U.S. distributor of the spa-centric work of Fridrik Karlsson (”the Eric Clapton of Iceland”), whose “Spiritual Fitness” and “Magical Relaxation” albums have been top sellers in 40 countries. Two collections of recordings, “The Feel Good Collection” and the new lounge-inflected “iChill Music,” offer soundscapes composed to accompany yoga, reiki, meditation or simple relaxation.

As an accompanist to singers such as Madonna, José Carreras and Tom Jones and a session guitarist for many Andrew Lloyd Webber soundtracks, the London-based Karlsson had to switch gears to make his mellow music. To get a better feel for the needs of therapists and clients, he trained in yoga, reiki, hypnosis, ayurveda and more. To compose, he gathers his nylon-string classical guitar, plus piano, bells, chimes, flutes and light percussion and escapes to his house in Spain. There he employs neuro-linguistic programming (he credits Tony Robbins as a teacher) to achieve a creative, calm mind for his compositions. Songs are set to a tempo of 60 beats per minute, a rate Karlsson says has been proved to aid relaxation. And each of his spa-centric recordings is 60 minutes, on the dot, the typical length of a spa treatment.

Even with the expertise and success of Karlsson’s recordings, Gunn has a tough job ahead of him. Music’s role in a spa treatment is to set a mood — then disappear.

“It’s a challenge to make the music not too intrusive,” says Karlsson, who visited Gunn in Malibu recently. “The more successful it is, the less you notice it.”

It’s hard to build a commercial presence when your purpose is to reside in the slim space between the conscious and unconscious mind and, in the best cases, to soothe so well that listeners are lulled to sleep. Karlsson points out that, for spa patrons, the background music can be a very pleasant and effective reminder of the treatment. Yet spas, which have eagerly packaged “the spa experience” in the form of pricey lotions and creams, have rarely sold the session’s music, a missed opportunity that bewilders him.

During a massage, he says, “it’s like the music is being pushed into you. It’s so anchored in you, that when you play it again, you relive the experience.”

If, that is, you were awake enough to appreciate it.

“Younger kids come to us and say, ‘That music makes me sleepy,’ ” Gunn says. “I say, ‘That’s the best compliment in the world.’ Think about it, when you are falling asleep, you want to be in a really nice space where you feel secure, safe and comfortable.”

This is the essential paradox of spa music: When it’s really good, it’s a soothing form of white noise. And when it’s great, all the whales, flutes and tablas float into a sea of zzzs. You won’t even know they’re there.

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Business expands to open day spa

The Styling Station Salon, a full-service hair salon servicing clientele on the Eastern Shore announced the opening of a full-service day spa. The day spa expansion, called “The Spa Station,” more than doubled the size of the existing salon.

The Spa Station offers clientele a range of day spa services including licensed massage therapy, facial and body treatments, manicure, pedicure and a line of skin care products. The expansion incorporated the addition of a reception area, relaxation lounge and three treatment rooms. The Spa Station will provide a day spa experience with an atmosphere that is serene, peaceful and calm — a true retreat from the outside world, a spokesperson said.

The Styling Station Salon, founded in 2002, is located in the Prodisee Center on Highway 98 in Spanish Fort.

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Medical Spa Do’s and Don’ts Presented by Medspa Expert at International Medspa Conference

Owner of the Best Medical Spa in America shares information on building a successful Medspa Medical Spa success.

Owner of The Best Medical Spa in America Shares information on building a successful Medspa Medical Spa Success Presented at Orlando Medspa Conference Medical Spa Success: Best Practices from the “Best Med Spa” in America - Kile Law, Co-owner.

In 2003, Blue Water Spa literally started from scratch with no patients or clients. Just three short years later, Blue Water Spa was named the Best Med Spa in America by American Spa magazine in 2006 and went on to gain the prestigious designation again in 2007. In just five years, Blue Water Spa has doubled its space, nearly quadrupled its staff, and seen nearly 15,000 clients with an amazing 87% repeat customers. In this fast paced session, Kile Law will share her best decisions, biggest mistakes, and tells what she would do differently if she could do it all over again.

Topics covered will include:
• How to select med spa technology;
• Spa design;
• Recruiting and retaining an exceptional staff;
• Affordable and non-traditional advertising;
• Proven marketing techniques;

Kile Law is recognized as a leader in the medical spa field. She owns Blue Water Spa , a medical spa in Raleigh, NC with her husband Michael Law MD. The spa has been named Best Medical Spa in America 2006 and 2007 by American Spa Magazine.

Kile was named Humanitarian of the year 2005 by Aesthetics International, and under Kile’s leadership, Blue Water Spa has been named the Best Place to Work in North Carolina by the Triangle Business Journal. Kile has been providing training to physicians and aesthetic professionals since 1991. Her Newport Beach, CA company Laser Aesthetics was instrumental in bringing physicians and aestheticians together. Kile has appeared on numerous television programs and in many magazines.

Articles by Kile Law and interviews with her have appeared in countless medical journals and spa publications. She is an in demand speaker at both medical and spa conferences. Kile has slowed her pace recently and spends most of her time enjoying life as a wife and mother of her two young sons.

To register or for more information go to the Blue Water Spa

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The Hard Knocks of Being a Spa Boy

This past summer, after getting rejected by the San Diego Zoo, Costco and a “Christian” bookstore (I’m not bitter), I finally landed a job as a spa concierge at a swanky local hotel. Now it sounds pretty exotic, and I do concede that as summer jobs go, I had it pretty darn easy. But, as I constantly reminded jealous friends with sore joints from jobs in construction and greasy faces from jobs at fast-food chains, this gig wasn’t without its downsides. Sure, I got to maintain the steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi - but never once did I get to go in there. The following list will show you that the life of the spa concierge can get pretty rough sometimes.

Folding. Towels, bathrobes and washcloths - they don’t fold themselves, you know. Yes, it’s mundane and mind-numbing at worst, but I truly think it took a psychological toll on me. I knew it was time to quit when I started threatening inanimate objects exclaiming that I would “fold them to death.”

Making small talk. It’s hard enough in social settings, but it’s a downright thankless task in the spa industry. I’m personally a fan of the humor approach. For some reason, though, male patrons didn’t think it funny when I gently - gently! - teased them about getting a “man”icure. Turns out, they were pretty sensitive about it - almost as sensitive as their hands.

Pretending to know what I’m talking about. I was always thrown for a loop when a guest asked me what a treatment was like. I can’t afford to have ladies slathering me with mud and oil and other nonsense; I’m certainly the wrong person to be asking. So, when I was asked what the traditional massage is like, I employed the thesaurus technique: “It’s very conventional, standard, customary, orthodox”

Naked men everywhere you look. I think savvy employers purposely omit this fact from the job description. Not a day went by that I didn’t think to myself, “That guy is way too naked.” On a scale of immodesty, theses gentlemen ranked just above Madonna and exotic dancers. Whenever I was approached by a nude male, it always caught me off guard, and if he didn’t care enough to hide his business, then I certainly didn’t care to hide my surprise. Multiple episodes like this, however, did result in a strengthened gag reflex. Still, I will never, never become desensitized.

Speech standards. As the employee of an aspiring 5-star spa, I had to speak in a certain way. I couldn’t say “Sup, fool?”- it was, “Good morning, sir. Welcome to the spa.” It wasn’t the bathroom; it was the “vanity area,” which was certainly an apt moniker for all of the mirror-gazing that went on in there. And, it was ”Please let me know if I can get you anything else, sir,” not “Dude, for the sake of everyone’s retinas and long-term memories, get what you got going on down there under control and throw a robe on!”

The ideal concierge, I think, is one who is stoic and willing to humor people (to a point, of course). So, much to my disdain, I had to address the haughty 16-year-old who came in for a massage as “Mr. Robinson” instead of “kiddo,” and I couldn’t tell the customer who got angry because I didn’t know the exact square footage of the spa to shove it. Instead, I took (great) comfort in the fact that there is a big, fat reality check waiting for them in their respective futures. Again, it wasn’t a bad place to work; it was just more challenging than one might think. And, providing that my bosses don’t read this, I hope to be back there for Christmas vacation.

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Planners approve spa at Harvest Inn

Plans to add a spa at Harvest Inn won the support of the planning commission Tuesday.

The commission approved a use permit amendment, design review and variance for the project without discussion.

The spa facilities will be housed in five new buildings, totaling about 2,200 square feet, on the south side of the property near Lewelling Lane, a private road. Several existing buildings will be torn down.

The project required a variance because a new maintenance building will be only 7.4 feet from the property line, less than the 25 feet required by the zoning. However, the new building will use the same footprint as an existing building that’s slated for demolition, and landscaping shields the facilities from view.
To offset the increased water demand created by the spa, the Harvest Inn’s owners plan to start using groundwater for all the landscaping on the property.

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