Frontiers magazine and its parent company have come under attack by LGBT activists who see its decision to sever ties with veteran journalist Karen Ocamb as “ageist” and “sexist.”
A story published in PressPassQ, a monthly e-mail newsletter for the gay and lesbian press professionals, quoted the new owner of Frontiers as saying Ocamb’s position was eliminated because he wanted younger journalists. Ocamb, 66, has covered politics and other issues from an LGBT perspective since the late 1980s.
“… We realized we were moving toward a digital and Millennial audience, and we wanted to give the generation of Millennials a real shot at creating our content,” said Bobby Blair, CEO of Multimedia Platforms International (MPI), which acquired Frontiers in September 2015. Blair’s company also has acquired other LGBT publications such as Florida Agenda, a Fort Lauderdale print weekly; Fun Maps, a series of maps of gay communities calling out bars and shops; Next magazine, a New York City gay nightlife guide, and Guy Magazine, a Fort Lauderdale website for gay men. In his interview with PressPassQ Blair said he has cut expenses by $1.1 million by eliminating positions among print staffers. Recently the company launched Wirld.com, an LGBT website.
Blair’s explanation of his reason for ending ties with Ocamb quickly generated heat from other LGBT journalists and activists.
Bil Browning, writing in the Bilerica Report, published on the LGBTQNation website, quoted several of them.
For example, Mike Rogers, an owner of the news site RawStory, said: “It is astonishing to me that a publisher would say they basically fired someone so they could hire a younger person. How can we expect new generations to learn about our past if we do not have seasoned reporters producing content and educating younger LGBTQ people?”
Bob Witeck, president of Witeck Communications, a leading LGBT communications and marketing firm, said: “It’s very clear that Frontiers will not be the trusted publication we have known for years, and never benefit from Karen’s smarts and archival knowledge. It’s all about trust and expertise – which Karen Ocamb owns in giant measure.”
Ocamb agreed with some of the critics. “I think Bobby Blair’s comments were both sexist and agist,” she said to the Bil Browning. “But he doesn’t really know me. We never actually met so I don’t know if he knows or cares about my history with LGBT media.” As of publication, WEHOville has been unable to reach Ocamb for further comment.
Frontiers, now more than 30 years old, is Southern California’s oldest and most widely distributed gay magazine. It was bought out of bankruptcy for $361,000 in 2013 by Michael Turner, who had worked in finance. Turner instituted a number of changes in the publication, including firing longtime publisher and former owner David Stern. Turner also brought on a heterosexual editorial advisor who changed the tone and content of the magazine in what Turner said was an effort to also appeal to a young heterosexual audience. The result was a rapid decline in advertising. These days the biweekly magazine rarely exceeds 68 pages when once its smallest size was 96 pages during slow advertising periods such as August. The magazine is rumored to be planning a move to monthly publication and has announced it will launch a revamped version of its website on April 5. WEHOville was unable to reach Blair for comment.
According to filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, MPI purchased Frontiers from Turner with an initial payment of $250,000 in cash and a promise to make another payment of $250,000 today. Turner also received 14,400,000 shares of MPI’s common stock, 3,000,000 shares of which were placed in escrow to be released upon achieving certain milestones. Turner is paid a salary of $150,000 for his work as head of digital media for MPI and as publisher of Frontiers.
MPI’s 2015 annual report, filed with the SEC on March 30, paints a grim picture. For one thing, it has had to borrow money from its board members to pay its bills. For example, it owes $85,000 to Michael Turner. The MPI report said the company had $68,153 in cash as of Dec. 31. “Based on our revenues, cash on hand and current monthly burn rate, around $200,000, we will need to continue borrowing from our shareholders and other related parties, and/or raise money from the sales of our securities, to fund operations.”
By the end of last year, MPI reported, it “had an accumulated deficit of $8,012,376, cash on hand of $68,153 and negative working capital of $3,707,738. As a result, we have significant short-term cash needs.”
MPI said its plan it to increase the revenue, largely from advertising, generated by its products and continue to save money by cutting costs. However, it said, ” … In order to repay our obligations in full or in part when due, we will be required to raise significant capital from other sources. There is no assurance, however, that we will be successful in these efforts.”
“The financial conditions evidenced by the accompanying financial statements raise substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. Our plans include obtaining additional capital through debt or equity financing. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if we are unable to continue as a going concern.”
Frontiers, sadly, has fallen so out of touch with its own community, that I fear this publication will disappear completely. I don’t know why Karen was fired. In fact, I am not sure why Frontiers does anything that they do.
please oh please, frontiers is a shell of what it once was. nobody, i mean nobody, is clamoring for this anachronistic periodical. and where in this magazines charter does it say that all employees have a lifetime guarantee of a job. of course it’s a personal heartache for this seemingly nice lady to lose a job, but come on, this magazine will be out of print soon enough. ageism, sexism, gender bias, homophobia? how about just plain dollars and good sense. good luck ms. ocamb. let’s hope that all the people ascribing political bias in your termination help find you… Read more »
It’s all about the content. Karen creates content that gives the publication relevance and seriousness. Without that weight, the rest of the magazine will float away. It’s a crucial strategic error on the part of the publisher.
Karen is legendary. Frontiers barely had any staff when I worked there in 2007 so this is no surprise.
The only explanation for why this magazine won’t just die already? It Must’ve become its own ‘sentient’ being (certainly not an ‘enterprise’) and it’s clinging to life hoping for a decent editorial staff with just a little vision to come along .
Imagine the heterosexuals turn out to be its savior ? A heterosexual free fag rag could work.
Frontiers lost its last shred of credibility when it terminated its relationship with Karen. She was the last and only voice worth reading.