HOME / PLANET S BLOG

10 years ago (August 12, 2002 to be exact), the staff at Planet S Magazine assembled for the first time.  I remember it like it was last night!  I won't name names because of witness protection programs, etc. but I can see the faces in my mind and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

Until that day, my professional life had been spent as an insignicficant cog in someone else's machine.  Now I was going to be part of something from the ground up - and you could feel the energy at that first gathering.  A group of wide-eyed, bright and creative people ready to bring Saskatoon into the realm of  real cities...as in a city with independent alternative media. 

In 2002, Saskatoon had one daily newspaper operated by a giant media corp. that couldn't give a shit about this town except on a balance sheet.  We now have two daily print offerings which is a forward step for Saskatoon, although neither parent corp. gives a shit about this town except on a balance sheet.  In 2002, Saskatoon had 2 radio companies operating their "play it safe" formats. We have a third player in the commercial radio market now which would be good if anything about commercial radio was artistically relevant anymore (All hail CFCR).  In 2002, Saskatoon's television stations were continuing to pare down, and 10 years later are skeletal.  

Finally, hobby publishers.  They are everywhere!  I wish I'd kept a list of the publications that have come and gone since we started.  It could have served as a constant reminder of the key to success in publishig.  CONTENT FIRST!   It seems like about onece a year in Saskatoon, somebody has the same ill-guided epiphany: "I bet I could sell ads if I made a magazine about *insert subject of personal interest here*".  Eventually, smart people and advertisers figure it out...ads surrounded by innane content means no real readership = fail.  

Thus, the pride I feel today is powerful.  We built something that matters and you keep taking us home with you.  And that's all we ever wanted...to get picked up and taken home...a lot!   Thanks to you, we get to have a tenth anniversary  (which will happen this fall by the way) and thanks to you  Saskatoon has a progressive, entertaining reflection of what it means to be a prairie urbanite.

Of course, thanks to that group that sat down together in 2002 and to all who've chipped in since. And special thanks to the "kids" sitting here in the office today.  

I fucking love my job!