‘Stolnik Publishers decided to close down Yekaterinburg after the magazine’s prospects on today’s advertising market had been thoroughly evaluated. The publishers feel that working on a men’s glossy magazine would suit the current situation better than keeping on investing in the printed business press,’ Yekaterinburg Editor-in-Chief Marina Zhivulina explained in answer to a query from UrBC.

‘As a result, the city of Yekaterinburg now witnesses a new project: Mister, the magazine produced by the same publishing house. For the time being, Mister functions as a supplement to Stolnik. The idea is that our readers need time to get used to it, to understand that this is the product by the same Stolnik team. Most likely, Mister will evolve into a full-fledged, independent magazine in September 2012,’ Ms Zhivulina said.

‘Closing down Yekaterinburg actually makes sense. Business press is now going online. Readers used to look forward to an article by or an interview with this or that celebrity, but now virtually any information can be obtained without setting foot outside one’s home. Men’s glossy magazines are also growing more highbrow: take GQ or Esquire, for example. Our magazine is targeted at thirty-somethings with a status, at people who read, think, and act,’ the editor explained.

‘Two people made the official staff of Yekaterinburg: the editor-in-chief and the copy editor; the rest were fifteen free-lance employees. We are all fully aware of the modern world around us and are prepared to work under a new format. I hope our advertising accounts will stay with us and will keep requesting for ads of their products in the new Mister magazine. There is naturally a risk of some of them leaving. Our managers are now making phone calls to our clients to inform them of the news. I believe we’ll manage to switch to the new mode and present their products in a new way and through different means,’ Zhivulina noted.

Yekaterinburg survived on the local market for seven years.