TORONTO – A magazine that’s an extension of contractor and TV personality Mike Holmes’ philosophy to “make it right” is going through some changes.
The Holmes Group announced Friday that it will be restructuring the management and operations of Holmes magazine, and revealed that it’s in the midst of a dispute with the publishing company Dauphin Media Group.
The December issue – expected on newsstands by the end of November – will be the final one published by the Dauphin Media Group, it said.
A statement from the Holmes Group said it is still unclear exactly how subscriptions will be affected during the transition, but it “will make every effort to honour the magazine’s subscriptions and manage the change to a new publisher as seamlessly as possible for everyone affected.”
The magazine began in Canada in January 2010 with six issues per year, but has grown to 10 issues and a separate U.S. edition.
In an interview, publisher Mike Dunphy of Dauphin Media Group said his company owns the design and all the contents of the magazine except for Holmes’ name and likeness, owned by the Holmes Group.
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“It had expressed interest in purchasing assets, certain assets, because we own everything except for his name and his face,” Dunphy said.
Dauphin was told by the Holmes Group it had until May to cease publication of the magazine, he added.
“We’ve decided now that we’re going to shut it down in December,” Dunphy said, noting that Dauphin has a new “shelter magazine” slated to launch in February with another celebrity, whose name won’t be made public for a while.
“What we’re going to do is we’re going to offer subscribers the option of continuing on with a more well-known celebrity, or a refund, and we’re more than prepared to offer up refunds to those who want them,” Dunphy said.
He confirmed there was a breakdown between the Holmes Group and Dauphin Media Group, and “we didn’t think it was going to get this messy.”
For its part, the Holmes Group said subscribers will be kept up-to-date on developments at the website http://www.holmesmagazine.ca.
Liza Drozdov, director of communications for the Holmes Group, said Dauphin Media Group was asked to continue publication of Holmes magazine until May 30 so there could be a smooth transition to a new publisher, but it declined.
“Having a magazine is important to me because it’s another way to reach and help homeowners,” Holmes said in a statement.
“I love the idea of giving people a monthly manual that teaches homeowners how they can improve the efficiency of their homes and how they can make the most of new products and resources.”
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