(iverson's) currentbuzz: The future of magazines might look like this

The publisher could produce a once-a-week online talent show quest that can be accessed anytime during the seven-day interval after it is posted. Advertisers buy commercials in the series, just like they would on network tv--for a "whole season" that lasts perhaps 13 weeks. And every week the publisher creates a free online magazine, supported by ads from the same "sponsors," that profiles the winners and losers, spats between the judges, etc.

At the end of the "season," a final recap in both an online and a special print edition is published. Again, this is funded by the same sponsors as part of the series package, but is also available for sale to interested single-copy buyers.

Source: minonline.com

As they say in the vernacular, "that's what I'm talkin' about" when I discuss convergence and the future of media. Forget format and concentrate on what your real product is. For magazines, the real content is the audience, isn't it?