Comstock's magazine

Last updated
Comstock's magazine
EditorJudy Farah
Senior EditorJennifer Fergesen
Assistant EditorDakota Morlan
Special Sections EditorJessica Laskey
CategoriesBusiness
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherComstock Publishing Inc.
FounderWinnie Comstock-Carlson
First issueJuly 1989
CountryUnited States
Based in Sacramento, California
Language English
Website comstocksmag.com

Comstock's magazine is a monthly business magazine with a focus on the Sacramento metropolitan area. The publication was founded in 1989 by Winnie Comstock-Carlson and features articles on topics of interest to the region's business and community leaders. [1] The magazine employs a network of freelance writers to produce its editorial content, such as business profiles, lifestyle stories and trend issues. [2] Its slogan is "Business insight for California's Capital Region." [3]

Contents

Since 2020, Comstock's magazine has been a provisional member of the California News Publishers Association. [4]

History

The magazine's founder Winnie Comstock-Carlson was born inside a Japanese-run internment camp in the Philippines during World War II. She grew up in Nevada City [5] and moved to Sacramento in 1962. [6]

Comstock-Carlson's first job in the magazine industry was working as advertisement salesperson at Sacramento Magazine for five years. [7] She then worked for another nine years at Executive Place magazine, [8] which later relaunched as California Executive magazine. It shuttered in 1989. Comstock-Carlson was the magazine's publisher for its final months before bankruptcy and said its last issues were profitable, but not enough to cover debts. [2]

A few weeks after California Executive closed Comstock-Carlson got the idea to start her own magazine. She awoke at 3 a.m. to the image of a magazine cover across her entire bedroom wall with the name "Comstock’s" on it along with the number 15. Comstock-Carlson interpreted this as a message from God telling her to start her own magazine. She said the cover in her vision was the same as the one used for the Comstock's magazine 15-year anniversary edition. She also said that the number 15 represented how many years it took before the magazine became profitable. [7] [9]

Lacking funds in 1989, Comstock-Carlson convinced vendors to wait for payment until after publishing the first edition. [7] Comstock-Carlson used a home equity loan to fund the magazine's launch. But six months later the United States entered into a recession. She took on credit card debt to keep the business afloat until it was financially sustainable. [10]

In 1995, Winnie Comstock married John P. Carlson, a marketing consultant who ran his own advertising agency. That same year he became the magazine's executive editor. He held that position until his death from cancer in 2001. He was 61. [11]

In 1996, the magazine launched a northern Nevada edition published quarterly and opened a second office in Reno, Nevada. [12] That same year the magazine considered launching a Fresno, California edition that would cover the San Joaquin Valley. [10] This quarterly edition did launch at some point. [11]

In 2020, the magazine's digital editor Matthew Keys abruptly quit. A few weeks later the publication's YouTube channel was deleted. A judge ruled Keys was responsible and that this action violated his parole. [13] He was sentenced to serve another six months in prison. [14] Keys denied the accusations [13] and in his Substack newsletter claimed Comstock's magazine had violated federal advertising regulations by not properly labeling native advertisements and misled city governments by inflating readership numbers to convince them to buy ads. [15]

Name origin

Comstock-Carlson decided to use her own name for the magazine partly because of its local historical significance, [2] such as the Comstock Lode in Nevada and the Comstock family who helped develop Sacramento. Businessman William Dutton Comstock served as the city's mayor in 1890. According to the City of Sacramento’s archives, “Mr. Comstock and his family occupy a lead position in social circles and all who pass through the portals of their cultured home enjoy a most cordial hospitality.” The estate of his daughter Sophia P. Comstock helped fund the Pony Express Statue at Old Sacramento State Historic Park. [16]

Prosper magazine

In fall 2004, two senior editors and another staffer at Comstock's magazine quit to start a rival business publication called Prosper magazine. The new magazine was financially backed by Warren Smith, co-owner of the Sacramento River Cats. [8] [17] [18] Five months after launch, Michael Teel, owner of Raley's Supermarkets, bought a majority stake in Prosper magazine. [19]

Comstock-Carlson said the competition forced her to "write some huge checks" and take on a second mortgage to pay for a circulation audit, new computers, new software and better trained staff. "It was a blessing to us," Comstock-Carlson later said. "We needed a kick in the pants to get to the next level." [20] Prosper shuttered after three years and published its final issue in December 2007. [21] [22]

Circulation

Comstock's magazine launched in 1989 with a controlled qualified circulation of 15,000. These issues were unsolicited free copies sent to local company executives and owners of businesses who employed at least 10 people and had at least $1 million in annual sales. Comstock-Carlson had a goal of getting to 10,000 paid subscribers. [2]

In 1996, Comstock's magazine had a monthly circulation of 20,000 in Sacramento and another 12,000 for its northern Nevada edition published quarterly. [10]

Awards

Comstock's magazine has won several journalism competitions over the years. In 2012, it won two Maggie Awards from the Western Publishing Association. In the category for consumer magazines with circulation under 75,000, Comstock's magazine won "Best Cover" for its January 2011 issue and won "Best Business Finance" magazine. [23]

In 2017, the magazine's founder Winnie Comstock-Carlson was named "Sacramentan of the Year" by the Sacramento Metro Chamber. [24]

Comstock's magazine has won multiple California Journalism Awards from the California News Publishers Association. In 2022, the magazine took home 20 awards [25] and won another dozen in 2023. [26]

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References

  1. ↑ Studio Sacramento | Winnie Comstock-Carlson | Season 4 | Episode 2 | KQED. 2024-03-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Alcott, Martha J. (1989-05-24). "Area business magazine reborn". The Sacramento Bee. p. 45. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  3. ↑ "Media Kit (2009)". Comstock's magazine. Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  4. ↑ Birch, Simon (2020-01-21). "Comstock's Magazine is monthly applicant". California News Publishers Association. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  5. ↑ "Chamber launches breakfast series". The Stockton Record . November 3, 2001. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Sacramento Metro Chamber Announces Annual Award Winners". Sacramento Metro Chamber. November 27, 2017. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 Goodman, Elaine (June 19, 2015). "2015 Women Who Mean Business: Winnie Comstock-Carlson, publisher and president, Comstock's" . Sacramento Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Anderson, Cathie (July 18, 2014). "Familiar face takes helm as editor of Comstock's Magazine". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ Comstock-Carlson, Winnie (July 12, 2024). "A Day in the Life of Comstock's Publisher". Comstock's magazine. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  10. 1 2 3 Nax, Sanford (November 2, 1996). "Comstock's may come to Fresno". The Fresno Bee . pp. 29–30.
  11. 1 2 Gibson, Steve (January 30, 2001). "John P. Carlson, 61, editor of business magazines, civic leader". The Sacramento Bee. pp. B5.
  12. ↑ "Magazine targets Northern Nevada". Elko Daily Free Press . September 21, 1996. p. 15.
  13. 1 2 Stanton, Sam (April 21, 2021). "Judge rules Sacramento journalist deleted Comstock's YouTube page after quitting" . The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  14. ↑ Stanton, Sam (July 20, 2021). "Keys gets 6 more months in prison after deleting Sacramento business magazine's videos" . The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  15. ↑ Keys, Matthew (2021-09-27). "Magazine duped Vacaville into spending thousands on ads during pandemic, records show". Solano NewsNet. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  16. ↑ Comstock-Carlson, Winnie (June 26, 2019). "The Comstock Name Has a Long and Storied History". Comstock's magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  17. ↑ Ortiz, Jon (November 3, 2007). "Prosper turns a final page". The Sacramento Bee. pp. 19–20.
  18. ↑ Shallit, Bob (May 31, 2004). "Ex-staffers to compete against Comstock's". The Sacramento Bee. pp. D1.
  19. ↑ Larson, Mark (January 27, 2005). "Raley's heir resurfaces as main owner of new magazine". Sacramento Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 16, 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  20. ↑ Shallit, Bob (November 7, 2007). "Shallit: Comstock's magazine chief gives failed rival it's due". The Sacramento Bee. pp. D4.
  21. ↑ Weintraub, Adam; Turner, Melanie (November 2, 2007). "Prosper to halt magazine publication". Sacramento Business Journal. Archived from the original on November 5, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  22. ↑ Dale Kasler; Ryan Lillis (17 August 2014). "Entrepreneur's next goal: Bring major-league soccer to Sacramento". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  23. ↑ Turner, Melanie (May 4, 2012). "Sactown, Comstock's each snag two Maggie awards". Sacramento Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  24. ↑ Glover, Mark (November 27, 2017). "Top Sacramento Metro Chamber honor goes to Comstock's magazine founder". The Sacramento Bee . Archived from the original on November 28, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  25. ↑ Labi, Vanessa (June 3, 2022). "Comstock's Content Honored in California Journalism Awards". Comstock's magazine. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  26. ↑ Fergesen, Jennifer (May 25, 2023). "Comstock's Magazine Wins First Place for General Excellence in the California Journalism Awards". Comstock's magazine. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
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