NEWS
& PRESS RELEASES Mr. Calve is the editor for the free publication, which is widely distributed around the state with information pertaining to families in Connecticut. The couple purchased it through its publishing company, Calve Global Media Group, Inc. from Nybor, LLC. That company, which produces Robyn’sNest.com, The Parenting Network, and Robyn’s Nest TV, started the magazine in 2002. Distributed throughout the state and in the shoreline communities at restaurants, businesses, libraries and hospitals, it garnered widespread interest in its first year. Distribution increased twice and the sale of private subscriptions was added. Nybor’s president, Robyn Surdel, said, “I really think Kristin and Joe will bring a lot to it with their experience. They have a young family themselves and what they will do will be fresh.” Mr. and Mrs. Calve and their son Freddy, born April 18, live in Georgetown and would like to buy another home in Redding. The timing of Freddy’s birth coincided with the launch of Connecticut Family Today’s April issue. It contains a feature: “Feathering your Family’s Nest: Getting the Biggest Bang for your Home Improvement Buck,” that Mr. Calve wrote. Another is entitled “Grandparents Who Care for Children May Face Hard Issues” by Robyn Surdel, who will contribute a monthly column. Another article, by freelancer Susan Lewis, focuses on parents with special needs children. Busy “We’ve been busy,” conceded Mr. Calve, holding Freddy asleep in his arms as he and his wife sat down for an interview over Mother’s Day weekend. He was good natured with a ready smile, despite getting a little less sleep himself these days, and talked about plans to retool the magazine’s format, broaden the scope of the readers and increase distribution. Both Mr. and Mrs. Calve bring strong publishing backgrounds to their new venture. Mrs. Calve is Publisher at American Lawyer Media Inc., a Manhattan-based company that provides news and information for the legal industry and publishes 29 national and regional trade newspapers and magazines. The Westchester native attended Fordham University, earning an undergraduate degree in English Literature, then an MBA is finance and marketing. She has also worked for A&E Television and handled international sales and marketing for the History Channel. Mr. Calve is an attorney who grew up in Darien. He was Editor of the Connecticut Law Tribune, Editor and Publisher of Texas Lawyer, and a Vice President with American Lawyer Media, Inc. He is Director of Practice Development for one of the largest global law firms, White & Case, in Manhattan and is in charge of marketing and media relations. “We want to bring a professional publishing background to this. We’ve both done financial acquisitions and done a lot of marketing and sales and developed web sites,” Mr. Calve said, noting the magazine is available in 500 outlets across the state and on its web site www.CtFamilyToday.com. Changes Some of the changes readers can expect include a redesign, switching from a tabloid to a magazine format. A calendar of events will be expanding to include more of Fairfield County and provide information to “all kinds of families,” not just ones with young children. There are also plans to distribute the magazine beyond north central Connecticut and the shoreline commuters to include all of Fairfield County. With the acquisition of the magazine came ideas, as well as advertisers and freelancers. We’ll build on what Robyn started, just broaden the appeal geographically,” Mrs. Calve said. “We’re looking to beef up the calendars and continuously update the web site and will develop different advertising opportunities.” “There are two constituencies,” Mr. Calve added, “readers and advertisers, which are the local businesses. They tend to be shot out of advertising by price.” So advertisers can save money because they will not have to purchase full-page ads, he said. Connecticut Family Today publishes 11 times a year and each issue incorporates a seasonal or timely theme. In April, for instance, there was lots of information about special Easter events and helpful spring cleaning tips like how to clean out a medicine cabinet. Broadened Scope Mr. Calve said when the magazine relaunches in September, it will appeal to a wider audience. He emphasized that “Families today are not just ones with young children. We want to broaden the scope to include non-traditional families,” Mrs. Calve added. This is what the former publisher had in mind when she started the publication, Ms. Surdel said. “We had people in our office that were single mothers and two mothers raising children together and realized that families are not necessarily the traditional families and come in all forms.” Giving information about continuing education opportunities, workshops, seminars, etc. and having more stories about small businesses will, it is hoped, appeal to more readers, the Calves said. There will be a pet column and stories with legal and financial advice. Mr. Calve said local talent would be utilized to get each issue out, other people, like themselves who “juggle family and careers” and run businesses. “There’s a tremendous talent around here. We will have top people in the fields as regular contributors.” The owners also want to make internships available to local students and have already contacted Joel Barlow High School about that. Connecticut Family Today is available on www.CtFamilyToday.com. Visit the web site for more information about obtaining a copy. Reprinted
with permission from The Redding Pilot. |
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