Jockey Slut: “established a niche”
The editors of style and music magazines Sleaze and Jockey Slut criticised the decision to close the titles this week claiming both were on a roll with strong ad revenue.
Owner Jon Swinstead axed the magazines when his company, Swinstead Publishing, ceased trading.
Shocked staff were called into the foyer and told to clear their desks immediately. The announcement has resulted in around 30 job losses.
While most staff have been paid a month’s salary, it is unclear whether they will get their full contractual wages. Some freelances are also owed in excess of £1,000 each.
The closure is believed to have been linked to Swinstead’s external business interests and both editors said they thought the titles had been made to carry the can.
Jockey Slut editor Paul Mardles said the title was run on a shoestring budget by a core editorial team of four. He said ad revenue was £6,000 to £7,000 over budget. Sleaze editor Neil Boorman claimed sales had tripled since its January relaunch.
“I’d like to think Jockey Slut could be bought. It established a niche no one else was specialising in,” Mardles said.
Boorman said Sleaze had also gained support since it relaunched as anticelebrity and led a backlash against PR-led “celebrity fluff”.
“Just as it was finding its feet and people were saying it had a clear identity it gets bloody pulled. It seems astonishing that something that had been turned around so dramatically has been pulled so instantly. It was on such a roll,” he said.
By Ruth Addicott
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