No-Ad Publishing

We have always admired the quality of research of Consumer Reports. The magazine puts to test everything average consumer may come across. In some sense it is the bible of the intelligent consumer. Recently a friend recommended another magazine, Adbusters. This magazine is almost completely opposite to Consumer Reports. Anti-consumerism is the main theme of every publication. They also take on mainstream media in general, from Iraq war coverage to the lack of corporate governance.

One thing that these two publications have in common, though is complete absence of outside advertisement. They rely on subscriptions as the main revenue stream (Consumer Reports are also subsidized by their charity arm). That is an excellent Existing Alternative in today’s publishing world. How can a magazine deliver such a great quality of information without having to rely on, and potentially being affected by advertisers? Obviously, this blog has a long way to go.