The Four Questions-John McDonald, CITY

January 12, 2006

John McDonald, Editorial Director/Publisher, CITY


Entrepreneur John McDonald has gone from food to food for thought. His first of several bars and eateries was the Merc Bar in Manhattan's trendy Soho in 1993. McDonald, also President of CITY Publishing LLC, later launched two lifestyle publications, Phoenix-based Desert Living in 1997 and New York-based CITY in 1999. CITY, which began as CITYNY but dropped the NY in 2001, has grown in circulation from 85,000 to 125,000—en route, he said, to 180,000 later this year, while expanding from bimonthly to seven issues. But McDonald is adamant that "CITY is not a regional New York City title." Mindful that presentation is paramount in both fields, he sees his publication as offering a stylish urban sensibility in a highly visual, photography-rich package. Indeed, CITY, whose tagline is “The destination for style,” has won such honors as a 2005 Silver Award for Photography from the Society of Publication Designers and a 2004 National Magazine Award for Best Photography. CITY's target readers range from CEOs and socialites to musicians and architects.

Q. As a restaurateur who entered magazine publishing in the late 1990s, what do you see as a couple of the key similarities and key differences between the restaurant business and the magazine business?
A. The two have quite a lot in common actually. Both require a very specific script—one a menu, the other an editorial blueprint. Both require that I deliver consistency to maintain customer confidence. You have to also be constantly evaluating each component of the business to see where weak links may exist and may need to be replaced with something new and hopefully stronger. With the restaurants such as Lure and Lever House, there is a convergence of design, food and fashion. Having daily exposure to a high volume of people also provides great opportunity to gather information that may be useful for ideas and concepts versus sitting at a desk all day long.

Q. What are some of the attractions or potential trends in the cultural, design and fashion fields that you're looking forward to seeing in the New Year?
A. We will see the continued growth of how art and design are working their ways into communities outside of the obvious cultural centers like New York City. Evidence can easily be seen in the popularity and coverage an event like Art Basil Miami is receiving year after year. Years ago the interest in such an event would have been limited to only the insider players of the art world. The same can be seen with the use of world-class architecture in secondary markets. They are realizing the important of creating significant buildings that have staying power and make a statement rather than simply filling a basic function. You will see top names entering markets that they normally would not be approached to work.

Q. How long have your CityMix and City TV iTunes attractions been on your website (www.city-magazine.com)? And what might you be planning to add next?
A. Both of those programs are relatively new and at present time are just ramping up. I will focusing more on posting the TV-type programs that can be downloaded to your via iTunes or direct from our site. Eventually these programs will act as a virtual concierge for the not only key destinations but also for posting brief interviews with key personalities from the design, fashion and art world. All such efforts help us, as an independent, to get exposure and expand on our brand without having the support of a huge publishing house. I'm also working hard to grow our "Page One" program, which is a weekly e-letter "concierge" available through our site. This asset allows us to bring breaking lifestyle news to our audience in a timely manner. Presently, we have 18,000 subscribers receiving that one-sheet.

Q. With so many magazine publishers pursuing spinoffs in TV and cable programming, do you have any interest in that strategy?
A. I hope to begin producing City TV segments that would focus on travel and food. Soon we will have short five-minute shows that will be available via podcasting or downloaded via our websites. Shows would vary from bringing the viewer an insider's take on a particular city or a visit with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, with his “Fast Food” column. Eventually we hope to have a solid library covering all of the top markets—New York City, L.A., Paris, London and so forth.