Safety First

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, May, 2001 by Bob Moseley

The troubling issue of security in schools sparks the publication of a new magazine dedicated to creating safe learning environments for students.

With school shootings an unfortunate fixture in the news, the issue of school safety is high on the minds of educators, parents and students. Safe Learning, a new publication from Resource Publications Inc., will tackle this and other school safety issues head-on.

While the increase in school violence may have inspired the company to choose this niche, the founders say the big headline issues are just a small part of the safety problems facing today's schools.

"I suppose the impetus was Columbine [High School], but we hope the shootings are a fad and will disappear. Even when that happens, there are still many issues around safe learning every day," says Ken Guentert, editor of the title that made its debut with a January/February 2001 issue.

Topics facing schools run the gamut from basic security to keeping students safe from toxic substances to heating and ventilation concerns. Plus, points out Guentert, on-site traffic is probably the greatest safety issue schools face.

Still, the magazine's editorial reflects the evolution of school safety issues from crossing guards to guns. Features in the first issue addressed hate speech, suicide threats, keys to violence prevention, and architectural design.

The publication marks Resource's expansion outside of the Catholic resource market. The 28-year-old, $2 million, San Jose-based company publishes titles including Ministry & Liturgy and Liturgical Catechesis. Safe Learning is new territory for the company, since it has not published magazines in the secular education market before.

The editorial direction of Safe Learning will be determined by feedback from readers and advertisers as the magazine evolves. "As a staff we're not coming to the magazine with a great amount of educational expertise," admits Guentert. "We're kind of letting the readers shape us."

Steady growth expectations

To start the ball rolling, the company shipped approximately 107,000 copies of the premier issue to school principals across the United States. Initially, the strategy was to target just the high-school market and expand later, but advertisers preferred that the title hit all secondary-school grades. Safe Learning plans to be advertiser-driven, but it hopes to convert from a controlled circulation of 110,000 copies by adding additional paid subscribers, such as maintenance and security staff, counselors, school health professionals and teachers. Other subscription targets include government agencies, consultants and businesses interested in school safety.

Safe Learning won't be sold on the newsstand, and the goal is to move to a subscription-only format. The first issue attracted 250 paid subscribers. "We didn't do any solicitation, but we did have subscription cards inserted in the magazine," says publisher Susan Mancuso. "We probably won't go totally paid for a year or two; we hope to be a totally subscription magazine in our third year." She adds, however, that circulation could remain partially controlled if advertisers desire that.

Advertising reach

Resource Publications expects advertising revenue to be in the $800,000 to $1 million range this year, and climb to $1.5 million to $2 million in 2002. Initial advertisers include security hardware manufacturers, educational groups and fundraising businesses. "I'm interested in any company involved in building character and safety programs," Mancuso says. "There are probably 25 different categories of businesses that should be advertising with us."

One advertiser is the Eddie Eagle Gun-Safe Program, a National Rifle Association effort to prevent gun accidents in preschool through grade 6. Program manager Heidi Cifelli says she has received several leads from advertising in the first issue of Safe Learning. The title appears to be a good match for her, since the program's two major target groups are educators and law enforcement.

The 46-page launch issue carried approximately 10 pages of paid advertising, including a full-page inside cover ad for America's Promise, the group founded by General Colin Powell to build character and competence in the nation's youth. America's Promise also advertises in Sports Illustrated for Kids and Redbook, according to a program spokesman.

Is safety a safe bet?

Guentert says that 80 percent of the advertisers returned for the second issue of Safe Learning. The ultimate question will be: Is the school-safety niche wide enough in scope for the audience?

"I'm never going to say there's not room for another magazine in the field, but it does seem like a narrow focus," says Anne Watson Bauer, editor of Childhood Education. "Still, I'm for anything that helps disseminate information to teachers and students."

Guentert doesn't think the focus is too narrow: "The sky's the limit in terms of how many issues we can talk about." Plans are in the works for stories on gun violence, sexual harassment and conflict resolution.