We love Colophon - International Magazine Symposium Luxembourg

Datum

2007 March

47 cover(s) available
view all

Advertising

bk@datum.at

Verein zur Förderung des Qualitätsjournalismus

Seiten der Zeit

With its slightly off, always iconic covers, matte paper stock and sharp lay-outs it's become a cult favourite among art directors around the world.

Vienna, Austria

Ungargasse 28/2/Innenhof, 1030

Email: office@datum.at

Periodicity: Monthly (11 x / year)
Language: German
Format: 210 x 280 mm
Circulation: 10,000
Price: 4.50 €
Web: http://www.datum.at

Founded in 2004

There may not be much innovation with news magazines in the English-speaking market but German-language titles continue to test the limits. Switzerland's Weltwoche was the first to pull off a radical redesign and now Austria's Datum is showing others how it should be done.

Exclusive Interview

DATUM - Seiten der Zeit

What is your magazine about?
DATUM is mainly about politics, media and society as well as about contemporary culture and science.

Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
DATUM was founded at the end of 2003 by me and financial consulter Hannes Weyringer, who until today takes care about the business side. The first issue, which was mainly made for pr purposes, was presented in March 2004. The first issue hitting the newsstands came out in June 2004. Since then we brought out an issue every month.

How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
24/7; 10 staff writers, 3 staff photographers, about 250 freelancers from around the globe: journalists, photographers, graphic designers also.

What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
We started out with a very small circulation. The first issue only had a circulation of 3.000 copies – it was sold out within 12 days. The second issue had a circulation of 6.000 and by the time our first birthday came around in June 2005, we were printing 10.000 copies. Within this period we have been awarded numerous prizes at home and abroad (most notably the “Fast lane media award” by the Financial Times’ Tyler Brule).

Which are the key ingredients for the success of your magazine?
Until the beginning of 2006 everyone including the editor was working for free, so we more or less only had to take care of the printing bills. Since we’ve been successful in selling the magazine, most of the money which comes in through ads we put into marketing and promotion. Our business philosophy is very conservative: make small steps, keep a tight grip on the money and through this make small, but significant progress.

What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
Money. Our main problem is, that most of the people in Austria who are potential readers don’t even know us yet. The only solution lies in more marketing and pr. And that costs money.

Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
The circulation should be 25.000 copies. By then the magazine should be the cream of the crop of Austrian magazine publishing in terms of international recognition and journalistic standards. Even if some people may think that sounds a little odd: We really mean it.

Tell us about your audience! Who are the readers of your magazine?
The average reader is between 19 and 49, earns good money, but is not a member of the so-called-superrich. He/She has studied, has got a general interest in politics, contemporary culture and science - things, in which he/she may not be directly involved, but likes to read about it. The thing readers like about DATUM is that it gives them a certain kind of insight and background information, which they do not get in other magazines. Especially when it comes to politics and media.

Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
Definitely.

What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
Advertisments make us pay most of our bills. But that’s it. We allow no influence to our editorial work.

What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
It was good considering the working enviroment back then. We started out in a small shack with one Macintosh G3. Today we work in an office which is bigger than any of the flats I’ve ever lived in before. You always have to think of the circumstances, the possibilities of the enviroment you work in. And in this context, even today I am quite happy with the first issue.

Magazine favorite(s) that inspired you in your career.
When it comes to content: from the beginning we have been concentrating of doing our own thing – not some spinoff or cheap copy. When it comes to editorial design: The New York Times Magazine (US), Weltwoche (Switzerland), Atlantic Monthly (US), the Sueddeutsche Magazin and brand eins (both from Germany).

Do you keep old copies of magazines? If so, what is your favorite in your collection?
Yes, I have a collection of old Spiegel-, Transatlantic (both from Germany), New Yorker- (US), Profil-Issues (Austria). But there is no favourite that comes to my mind right now.

How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
More or less five. I think that does not qualify me as a mag adddict.

We are compiling answers from some of the most innovative magazine makers around the world today. Who else should we ask?
Andreas Ungerböck, "ray" (movie magazine, http://www.ray-magazin.at).

Answered by Klaus Stimeder (chief editor) Magazine: DATUM - Seiten der Zeit Email: klaus.stimeder@datum.at Date: 31-10-2008