The Gay & Lesbian Media Alliance Australia (GLMAA) is an umbrella alliance of 11 magazines and newspapers covering a variety of interests including politics, current affairs, health, social issues, fashion and entertainment. The arrangement means that advertisers can contact their local GLMAA member and, for a one-off payment, launch their campaign on a national level, appearing in all member publications. Members of the alliance are Lesbians on the Loose, DNA, SX, QLD Pride, Qnews, Bnews (Vic), MCV (Melbourne Community Voice), Blaze (SA), Out (WA), Melbourne Star and The Pink Directory (national). ÒIf booking with the Alliance [based on circulation figures] a clientÕs advertisement will be published in NSW, Victoria, SA, Queensland and WA 361,390 times and will be read by 900,000 gay and lesbian readers every month Australia-wide,Ó says Silke Bader, publisher of Lesbians on the Loose. Editor of Sydney-based newspaper SX Martin de Courtenay says that his paper joined the Alliance to prove to the world that gay and lesbian publishing Òwas still alive and kicking after the fiasco of 2000.Ó ÒPublications which are around now are working harder than ever before to deliver a great product,Ó he says. ÒWeÕve risen from the ashes much stronger than we were and while weÕre looking after a rather large market, Alliance members are doing great things.Ó The Sydney Star Observer (SSO) is the oldest, most respected gay and lesbian weekly in the country with a focus on news, features, lifestyle, travel, events and venues. It is distributed free primarily in the cityÕs inner east and west and is strongly supported by its web site at ssonet.com.au. Corporate advertisers include Volvo, St George, Tourism New Zealand, Pitchfork Wines, Telstra and Twisties. The newspaper also enjoys solid community support with regular advertising from ACON (Aids Council of NSW), Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and South Sydney Council. Sales manager David Manfredi feels that the SSO can cheaply and efficiently complement any mainstream advertising campaign with an eye to the AB market, as well as providing a Òlaunch padÓ for a new product or service. ÒWe regularly survey our readers and have a wealth of information that media buyers are able to tap into,Ó Manfredi says. ÒWe also have a very detailed profile of our market, and as one of the only audited [CAB] gay and lesbian publications, we offer very much a known quantity to advertisers.Ó SX is a weekly newspaper for gay men distributed in SydneyÕs inner east and west, which includes lifestyle features, health and beauty, entertainment and venue information. Editor Martin de Courtenay admits that its focus is entertainment and therefore is not in competition with the Sydney Star Observer. ÒObviously, there are similar pick-up habits, but because we focus more on lifestyle than political news, we attract different advertisers,Ó he explains. ÒOn average, our readership is mostly men in their 20s who are professionally employed and have a high standard of education Ñ 93% of our readership identify as gay men.Ó SX is also a member of the Gay & Lesbian Media Alliance, which de Courtenay sees as a way to have a sense of national cooperation. ÒWeÕre not a political publication Ñ our mere presence is political Ñ but the Alliance will be able to look after a huge market around Australia. It will mean advertisers can make a simpler decision about where to advertise in the gay and lesbian press.Ó Lesbians on the Loose (LOTL) is AustraliaÕs only monthly free magazine for lesbians, which includes articles on lesbian lifestyle, culture, politics and the community, as well as health, movies and personal columns. Publisher Silke Bader says LOTL has always attracted a great variety of advertisers from travel (largest) to health, finance, real estate and home/garden. ÒCurrently we have 80% small businesses as advertisers and 20% from corporate advertisers such as Aussie Home Loans, RAMS, Tourism Tasmania and Telstra,Ó Bader says. ÒWith the fall of Satellite Media, I understand the agencies being hesitant in dealing with this market, but most of the current gay and lesbian press has been established for a decade or more. Gay and lesbian couples will make their decision on which super fund, which airline or which bank to choose not only on competitive grounds, but very much on a decision on who supports the community.Ó Bader feels that to get the edge on the lesbian market, LOTL is really the best choice. ÒSSO and SX are weekly newspapers mostly read by guys. SX has approximately 6% women readers and SSO, I think, about 20%. How-ever, almost every lesbian in Sydney will read through the monthly LOTL to gather information on whatÕs on for lesbians. Lesbians will not feel Ôtalked toÕ in SSO or SX with an ad, but will know that once an ad is placed in LOTL, this cooperation means business with women.Ó Also a member of the Gay & Lesbian Media Alliance, Bader says since its inception, she has had more corporate bookings than ever before, even during the traditionally heavy booking period of Mardi Gras. DNA magazine is AustraliaÕs only monthly lifestyle magazine for gay men. It is distributed throughout Australia and New Zealand and includes lifestyle features, current affairs, celebrity interviews, music reviews and travel. It also contains about 20 pages of menÕs fashion each month. Clients include Aussie Bodies, the Sydney Dance Company, Johnson & Johnson, Longines, Merck Sharp & Dohme, STA Travel, Holeproof, AOL and ANZ. Advertising manager Dario Burgel says there is still a lot of room for growth in the gay and lesbian advertising world. ÒObviously, we expect advertising to increase prior to and during the Gay Games, but to really reach this market several of our advertisers have ongoing campaigns throughout the year to sell their message,Ó he explains. ÒIf a company is serious about targeting the gay market and if they would like to see an increase in market share for their product or service, then an ongoing commitment is what will make gays and lesbians gain trust.Ó DNA is relaunching its web site at dnamagazine.com.au in late August 2002. The site will include teasers to the current issue, a photo gallery, online subscription facility and online advertising. The Gay Australia Guide magazine (and web site at gayaustraliaguide.com) is a quarterly publication from independent publishing company Gay Travel Guides, and is the largest-circulating gay and lesbian publication in Australia. It is distributed free with a number of state-based community newspapers as well as through hotels, B&Bs and other related outlets. Editor Dominic OÕGrady established Gay Travel Guides in 2001 and other titles in the group include Gay Canada Guide, Gay America Guide, Gay New Zealand Guide and the online accommodation directory Qbeds.com. ÒWe have a really good mix of clients from mainstream Ñ Accor, Radisson Hotels, Tourism Tas-mania and the SA Tourism Commission right through to smaller B&Bs and gay and lesbian friendly boutique hotels,Ó OÕGrady says. ÒWhile weÕre slightly more expensive than the weekly gay and lesbian press, weÕre a full-colour magazine, and we also value-add with our web site. We discovered that print and online was the best way to deliver to gay and lesbian travellers and our advertisers are happy to get that extra value for money.Ó Bnews a Melbourne-based free fortnightly newspaper, caters mainly to young gay men and covers news, the arts, lifestyle and venues. Publisher Bill Calder says that since the Satellite demise, the level of commitment from community organisations remains strong, but that Òperhaps the corporates have forgotten usÓ. ÒLately, though, weÕve had a lot of car advertisers Ñ Mercedes, Toyota, Jaguar to name a few Ñ as well as Mayne Health,Ó he says. ÒWe also have a lot of support from the music/arts sector with advertising from HMV, the Melbourne Museum, independent cinemas and other arts bodies.Ó A member of the Gay and Lesbian Media Alliance, Calder says while itÕs in the early stages, the relationship is solid. ÒItÕs a good concept to have the papers working cooperatively, as well as being able to offer a Ônational buyÕ to organisations which are looking to that. It will also offer efficiency in delivering services.Ó Every other week, the Bnews team produces the Melbourne Star, which Calder says is a more local product. ÒIt has an older readership than Bnews and is a more feature-based publication, while Victorian-based, Bnews has a more national perspective. For example, we do Ônews swapsÕ with SSO in order to maintain the more national flavour.Ó The Pink Directory operates like the Yellow Pages but is specifically designed for the gay and lesbian community. It includes everything from gay and lesbian bars, clubs and community groups to gay owned/operated or friendly accommodation, pet care, real estate agents, professionals, business services, home improvements and trades people. Having hit the ground running in March 2002, director Ben Heath says The Pink Directory is now garnering about 10 new bookings a day. ÒWhile the end user is the gay community, The Pink Directory will list more than gay businesses,Ó explains Heath. ÒThere has been no other annual directory as yet for the gay community which has been branded as hard or marketed as hard. With the two-pronged approach of the hard copy directory [release date October 2002] and the web site [thepinkdirectory.com.au], weÕre covering all the bases. In fact, Hitwise recently rated us at number 10, with 150,000 hits to the site. Whether they realise it or not, a lot of corporates have a product which is attractive to the gay and lesbian market.Ó The Pink Directory was also established specifically to assist under-funded gay and lesbian community groups and HIV-related organisations, and will allocate a percentage of profits made to these groups. Pinkandblue.com.au, born from its sister site, outbiz.com.au, was launched last month to provide a magazine-style portal for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. It covers social events, travel, health and features. Online marketing and promotions manager Toby Moses says advertising opportunities will be Òever evolving.Ó ÒWe will have regularly updated content, promotions and services for users, weekly e-newsletters, advertorials, tower ads and rich media, as well as the usual banners and buttons,Ó he explains. Cross-promotional activities involve assisting BMG, SBS and Warner launch the US TV series Queer as Folk (QAF) nationally through a series of launch parties in the gay and lesbian community. ÒPinkandblue is also hosting the official QAF fansite, a growing sub-site which caters to the fansÕ thirst for knowledge regarding the hit TV series,Ó Moses continues. ÒUnlike the existing gay street press and gay-oriented web sites, we aim to create a fresh user experience devoid of the usual cringe factor associated with male-dominated sex ads.Ó Key gay & lesbian publications Publication Sydney Star Observer Distribution NSW Circulation 31,086 CAB audit Frequency Weekly Publication SX Distribution Predominantly Sydney metro Circulation12,040 publisherÕs claim Frequency Weekly Publication Melbourne Star Distribution VIC Circulation 16,800 publisherÕs claim Frequency Fortnightly Publication MCV Distribution Predominantly Melbourne metro Circulation 17,000 publisherÕs claim Frequency Weekly Publication Qnews Distribution Predominantly Brisbane metro Circulation 16,500 publisherÕs claim Frequency Fortnightly Publication Blaze Distribution SA Circulation 8,200 publisherÕs claim Frequency Fortnightly Publication Out in Perth Distribution Predominantly Perth metro Circulation 10,000 publisherÕs claim Frequency Fortnightly Publication DNA Distribution National Circulation 18,500 publisherÕs claim Frequency Monthly Publication Lesbians on the Loose Distribution National Circulation 20,000 publisherÕs claim Frequency Monthly Publication Gay Australia Guide Distribution Nationally/internationally Circulation 63,375 CAB Frequency Quarterly Publication QP Distribution QLD, Northern NSW and NT Circulation 14,000 publisherÕs claim Frequency Fortnightly Publication Bnews Distribution VIC Circulation 20,402 CAB audit Frequency Fortnightly
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