Is the Dubai fitness market in good enough shape to support two niche mens magazines? ITP have launched Men's Fitness and Motivate will soon launch magazine juggernaut - or gay icon, depending on which side of the gym you stand - Men's Health. It's going to be Reebok's at dawn down Garhoud way.
Great post and great title courtesy of an anon - thanks.
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52 comments:
If either motivate me to get to the gym, fuck it, they're both welcome.
hmmm, wonder whether they can get local pin-ups? i for one have seen a couple in fitness first in DIFC .... perhaps that's a discussion - where are the hottest gyms?
Men's Fitness is not that bad, but whoever thought that was a good debut cover needs shooting.
This blog should be renamed Dubai Low-end Trade Magazine Franchisee Observer.
I hope Men's Health is better is better than Men's Fitness. I expect it to be. MF looks awful. Motivate seem to have trumped ITP on a title, which doesn't happen often.
Re:Anon 17:21
Agreed, That image of Daniel Craig does him no favours, especially considering the premise/promise.
Still, it's good that there is now some fresh rivalry between Motivate and ITP. Hoping to see ENG's homespun FLEX soon...
The issue with these localized versions is why bother? What can a UAE version of men's health offer that the original cannot do better? It will be cheaper I assume, but I would still rather get the original.
Off topic, I'm afraid, but it seems that some sections of the UK press are still swallowing the whole UAE is wonderful story without asking a single question. Pass the sick bag.....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ultratravel/3684246/Middle-East-special-The-rise-and-rise-of-Persian-Gulf-architecture.html
Unrelated and shameless plug:
http://measuredpr.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/campaign-middle-east-vs-mediaweek-middle-east/
the telegraph piece is a good example of reporting via google. not a single piece of original information in the whole thing.
it is full of mistakes too, including this howler:
"By the end of 2009, more than 30 new hotels will be open on the Palm Jumeirah alone, including the Trump International Hotel & Tower"
it got cancelled almost two weeks ago - which the writer would know if she read the national, which she is the travel editor for.
Hey, 10.53 - I followed your shameless plug, and found this:
"The bottom line is this: If Campaign are to survive a fortnightly frequency, they have better start putting some online content."
What a dick.
The bottom line is this: that makes no sense, you prick. Stop trying to be some kind of media judge, when you're not even capable of stringing a sentence together.
Yeah, what a dick for thinking a fortnightly magazine should have a website. Clueless. What does he think this is, 2008?
anon @ 11 December, 2008 00:22
Why all the animosity and name-calling. It's only an opinion. Nothing personal.
To be fair I thought that 'shameless plug' was worthwhile, and contained a valid opinion. shouted down? blame ITP, obviously...
who really cares about the dubai media scene or dubai itself.
it's a superficial city full of shallow people ruled by a psychotic proprerty developer who's trtying to turn sand into gold and generally makes michael jackson look sane.
personally io dont care hoiw many magazines dubai has, not how poor their editorial is or how low their readership is, nor do i care how many thousand dollar a night hotels there are. If i wanted trashy consumption i would go to vegas.
"who really cares about the dubai media scene or dubai itself"
so you ended up at a website called Dubai Media Observer completely by accident?
OK, so Dubai's media (like everything else) is a few notches below par, when compared to the Western World, and er, Australia.
Is that really all there is to say about this fundamental truth or do we need endless thread after thread to illustrate this point in decreasingly different ways?
lol@ 22.59. 'what he said'
My photographer mate reckons the main image used in today's travel section was doctored and due to the distance/shadows, there was no way that camel was originally in the shot. Andrew Parsons from the National took the shot - I am not an expert but flatmate, who is, is dead certain it has been doctored.
Any photo experts care to comment?
http://tinyurl.com/5m6qpr
I've been a reader of Men's Health for years and can't wait for a localised edition so i don't have to fork out fiddy dirhams an issue
but you wouldn't make do with men's fitness?
Must admit I'm looking forward to seeing the middle east versions of the 'How to satisfy your woman like John Holmes on viagra this month' features.
I don't think you can call Men's Health a niche title, it is definitely more of an overall men's lifestyle title similar to the likes of GQ and Esquire.
New thread - I hear rumours that Emirates Business 24/7 is close to folding - any truth to it?
boring thread for a boring industry in a boring country
ENG is also in trouble, delays to salaries this month...
Oh no! Bugger! First ITP and now Emirates Seven/11 business and tv guide classifieds dial-a-brothel thingy. shit!
That would be a disaster for the media in the UAE - the last bastion of a free press failing.
Where can we turn to now for unbiased, balanced and objective reporting?
I very much doubt either ITP or ENf are in troublw. Outside of the government's various holdings, ENG is one of the biggest companies (in terms of revenue) around. And ITP has been making lots of money for years. I'm sure both are making plans to deal with lower revenues throughout 2009, but going bust? No chance!
aren't salaries generally higher across all media in dubai than they are in the UK? I'm thinking about moving to Dubai. Sounds like there's some great opportunities there to get a bigger job title and advance my career.
Dear 20:40, Did you pass any GCSEs? If not, don't worry, all is not lost here at ITP. You'll probably make Group Editor within a couple of years. Also, if you have any previous, e.g. GBH or London tube stabbings, then you may also be applicable for a Senior Group Sales Executive Director position or equivalent. Apply within. Allow 28 days for answer. Written details on request. Also, have you ever lied? If so, there may be vacancies within our busy circulation department.
anon @2104
Spend a short while browsing through the comments here to get a sense of the dubai media scene.
it is filled, mostly (some exceptions of course) with the shrillest, least-talented and most back-stabbing goons out there. Money isn't that good and neither is the weather. Plus it will soon have a huge recession and disappear into the desert.
New post suggestion - Bhoyrul fisked by Thai blog?
Arabian Business recently claimed that ex-Thai PM's assets had been seized by the UK. This was picked up by Thai press and published in various papers.
When questioned as the veracity of AB's line that ""The UK froze his reputed $4 billion of assets, forcing him to sell Manchester City to Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour. To add to his troubles, his UK visa was revoked - oh, and his wife divorced him last week," Bhoyrul responded to bangkokpundit.blogspot.com with a reply that begins with
"Hi, I'm sorry that was written wrongly...".
Quite.
Check it out - http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/2008/12/did-uk-seize-thaksins-assets.html
Hi, does anybody know what's behind Gulf News and other papers being locked out of the Abu Dhabi Awards?
Very pointed piece on the front page of GN about only The National being allowed in to cover.
Very petty...
To everyone who recommended that I consult the archives here for information about the media industry in Dubai, or just trashed the industry, does it follow that because you hate the place and what it says about you to work there, that I will to? Do you know anyone who's reasonably satisified with their work and work conditions?
can we officially declare that gulf news is not actually a newspaper? And certainly not an English language one:
"Dubai: Residents of Dubai have welcomed the government’s decision to exercise restrain and welcome the New Year with somberness as their brethren in Palestine is enduring worst forms of violence and killings at the hands of the Israeli military.
People who spoke with Gulf News said His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has set an example for other Arab leaders..."
the last paragraph is especially hilarious for those of us who can actually speak english, as opposed to the GN staff.
On the subject of non-entity newspapers - any truth in the rumours of Business 24/7 winding down ahead of planed closure?
It launched as Emirates Toady with little or no editorial direction (whomever was editor should have been shot after issue 1) and then lost whatever direction it may have had. It tried to bully 7Days out of the market, and failed. It gained a bit of focus as a business daily, for a while, but remained pretty dire. And now - not sure what the point of it is and it sounds as it won't be with us for much longer. Shows how you don't get two chances to make a bad first impression, I guess. no loss, but a wasted opportunity.
it might not be worth an entire blog page but it is worth an answer at least:
can someone in TV explain why i watch so many channels on which the adverts and content are at different audio levels? i ask as fox series is guilty of this most annoying crime and i was expecting better. isnt it just a case of turning up/down the volume or editing the packages correctly?
so you can still hear the ads when making a cup of coffee
Or why Fox Series insists on going to an ad break mid sentence - for station promo and ads for other shows - only to come back, complete the sentence followed by the correct break point. They should get that correctly aligned with their software. I assume the station is completely automated.
More GN gems, both reported news stories in the national news section:
"reporter" Fatma Saleem gets her hands dirty working hard to uncover this scoop:
Mohammad praised as ideal wise leader
Shaikh Mohammad has always been seen as the ideal wise leader with unmistakable vision.
His countless accomplishments in Dubai and the rest of the emirates, as well as his role in pushing Dubai to global recognition as one of the most advanced cities is remarkable.
On this occasion, his people take great pleasure in wishing him continuing success and prosperity.
And "reporter" Alia al Theeb has this startling insight:
Mohammad: A unique model for leaders
"Shaikh Mohammad believes that the key strategic challenge over the next two decades hovers around who can go the extra mile to enhance performance levels, keep abreast of successive developments in various fields, introduce modern administrative concepts in customer service, attain customer satisfaction, promote resources, simplify procedures, promote a creative spirit, unleash talents and skills, serve the business community, provide an excellent investment climate, support the private sector and promote free enterprise."
He's going to keep abreast of successive developments in various fields? Hold the presses!
I think you can still see traces of shit on her nose.
Bob H -
You can put that to the man himself soon - Jason Leavy, former ET editor, is back in the UAE. He's Motivate's new Publisher.
The guy who screwed up Toady is being given a second chance in this city. Much be a credit crunch on...!
He did't screw the Toady up - his hands were tied. Nobody I know has anything bad to say about him and he was a good editor.
anon @ 11.17 ... interesting, everyone I know that has worked for him (or with him) says he's a twat.
I've never heard anyone describe him as a good editor before. decent enough chap, but editorially weak is the general consensus from the people who have worked under him..
'His hands were tied'? Isn't that an catch-all, finger pointing excuse used by the weak?
Yeah. Terry Waite. Brian Keenan. Shannon Matthews. They all complain about their hands being tied, and they're obviously losers.
When are you invading Poland?
boring wall posts. for a site that still has Emirates Today and Evening Post listed as UAE newspapers a year after their expiry date i will say zzzzzzzzz.
do clean up the outdated links Mr/Ms Moderator.
I like the local version of Mens Fitness but could not find a local Mens Health to compare who trumps who.
Who changed the subject?
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