Watching London’s famous listings bible Time Out struggle to cope with the changes in media is a sobering experience. The title has expanded so successfully into cities around the world and its guides have earned a name that can be trusted to point you in the right direction, not into the usual tourist traps.

As a long term subscriber and a life long reader of the magazine, it forms a big part of what I identify as the experience of living, working and going out in London. Culturally it’s a key part of the fabric of this great city. Yet even a brand with such savvy urban credentials could potentially be laid to waste when technology erodes its revenue streams.

Radical Options

Despite their ongoing global expansion, it became clear it was not plain sailing for the original print publication back in the autumn, when founder and Chairman Tony Elliott announced that they were looking at a variety of radical options including becoming a free title.

As a listing-led mag, Time Out couldn’t be more threatened by the filtering capabilities of websites and mobile devices. They also have to contend with the accompanying trend for freesheet newspapers. But with plenty of good brand extensions and a nifty website of their own, what more could they actually do to maintain their position in a changing landscape? It’s almost impossible to know what’s right, so at least they are fighting a good fight. I just hope they make decisions that turn out to be good ones.

Bad Omens

Omens didn’t look good earlier this year though, as an already slimmed down mag experienced a sudden drastic drop in paper quality, without warning. The stock was so toilet-worthy I emailed them saying they had got to be joking. (This is a topic close to my heart. When I worked at DJ Magazine various publishers would occasionally spring a change in paper stock upon us. It would always be shockingly bad, the advertisers would kick off and use of better stock would eventually resume.)

I was notified by Time Out that it was only a ‘test’, and the paper did improve the following week, however it has since become regularly printed on paper that is so thin you can see much of the contents of the next spread through each page. Time Out’s USP in the digital era is that it is A MAGAZINE. Reducing the quality of the paper reduces its value over a digital equivalent, let alone a freesheet newspaper. If the mag is going to be free, then fair enough, but us subscribers are currently being given a smaller, inferior product at a time when we will be considering our options.

Dangerous Balancing Act

The departure of key editorial staff, repetition of story ideas and some glaring subediting mistakes also weaken this position. Meanwhile the frankly overwhelming coverage for advertorial tie-ins like the Get Loaded in the Park festival play a dangerously fine balancing act with our trust of the title’s independent voice.

Despite having sypmathy with their stark choices, I was left toying with the painful idea of cancelling my subscription. It is after all now a relatively expensive luxury in a world where there isn’t enough time to consume the content that is pushed my way each week.

Welcomed Advertising

It was then that I chanced upon a small ad for the fantastic Kodo drummers while flicking through an issue (and subsequently enjoyed their recent performance at the Festival Hall). And this is exactly where a physical magazine has a huge edge over its digital equivalent. Whereas on a screen the more flashing ads the more we tune out, in a listings mag colourful ads for events are exactly what you wish to see.

When digital produces something to rival to the casual physical page-flicking experience then the paper mag listings game is surely up, but for now paper has the edge on this front. The medium needs to be celebrated (as tech mag Wired shrewdly does with its touchy-feely rough covers).

Analog Apologies

So for now I remain a Time Out subscriber. Much as this blog extols the many advantages of digital media, paper and its (currently) unique analog properties need to be treated with respect rather than almost apologised for.

We’ll occasionally return to this topic, plus comment on Time Out’s progress dealing with the pace of change. It’s one brand that really should have a strong presence in the new digital world order, but as we know in this game, nothing is written in stone…