Publisher buys 02138, but quality may not improve

The independent Harvard alumni fashion magazine, 02138, has been sold to a small magazine publisher, reports the New York Times:

Manhattan Media bought 02138 from Atlantic Media, publisher of The Atlantic and National Journal, and the magazine's young founders, Bom Kim and Daniel Loss, who held a minority stake. The price was not disclosed.

The deal was something of a surprise; Manhattan Media's involvement had been kept quiet, and published reports said in April that Sandow Media, publisher of Worth magazine, was on the verge of buying 02138, which is named for Harvard's ZIP code.

The plan is to expand 02138's web presence -- including social networking -- and create additional alumni titles based on the other Ivy League alumni populations.

I have to say that the Web ideas are way overdue; the original 02138 blogs effort was poorly handled and the 02138 RSS feed is seldom updated. However, creating a new Harvard social network will be a tough sell, considering Harvard alums already have two established competitors -- post.harvard and Facebook.

I also don't hold out much hope for an improvement in editorial quality under the new owner. According to the New York Times article, 02138 founder Bom Kim will be staying on as publisher and Manhattan Media hopes executive editor Richard Bradley will stay as well. These are the same folks behind 02138's current editorial character, which I find to be lacking. At the top of this page, I described the publication as a "fashion magazine," and that was only half in jest. While 02138 has gotten one or two scoops and puts out some interesting profiles, its advertiser-friendly "Passions" section ("Harvard-meets-Hollywood lifestyle: where to live, where to go to get away, how to get there in style, and the clothes and jewelry that will guarantee you look the part") limits the publication's journalistic integrity. I also question the dedication to quality and accuracy after reading pieces like "Open Enrollment," which mistakenly described Harvard Extension School programs as a way for people to "purchase the Harvard brand" and called HES degree programs a "perk."