Keeping it Fresh

Inside

WHILE I TRY TO STEER CLEAR OF CYNICISM, the journalist in me is  always skeptical. Late last year, San Diego Magazine held a company-wide  brainstorming meeting. We filled a conference room at The Lodge  at Torrey Pines. Everyone—editors, art directors, sales reps, interns—  contributed unedited opinions and suggestions about our product and procedures.

A waste of time, I wondered? Oh well, at least it’d mean a free lunch.

Input from the meeting was reported to the magazine’s management team. Department  heads listened intently. And then our managers reported back to the whole  staff. And to the skeptics in the room—namely me—the result of the process was a  pleasant surprise.

Manager after manager ticked off suggestions that were going to be implemented. Some had already been  put into effect before the last meeting even occurred. Not everyone’s wish was granted. But the passion that went  into making the suggestions was matched by a willingness to listen and act.

Some of our suggestions were internal and don’t bear mention. (And sadly, my suggestion for Free Hoagie  Fridays went unheeded.) But some of the new ideas that came from our meetings you will begin to see in the  pages of the magazine.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK at our Front Pages section, for example. Associate editor Julia Beeson has taken over the  reins, and is making it hipper than ever. She’s on top of the best boutique hotels and wine bars and is keeping us  posted on medical marijuana laws. Art director Laurie Miller says the section’s new look doesn’t qualify as a redesign  but more of a “refresh.”

And here’s news: San Diego at Home (our design magazine-within-a-magazine) is going bimonthly. Starting  this issue, get ready for more home and lifestyle coverage in 2007 than ever before.

Now, we haven’t forgotten February is the month in which Valentine’s Day falls. We’ve done Best Dates and  Ideal Dates and Sexy Singles stories in the past. But we like the fresh twist on this year’s piece: “Delicious Dates.”  We sought out San Diego’s top foodies—chefs, restaurant owners, et cetera. And we asked them to reveal their  perfect dates—topped off by the meals they’ll lovingly serve to their special someone.

More things to look for: Marcia Manna gets an exclusive interview with Annie Leibovitz, whose touring exhibition,  “A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005,” makes its West Coast premiere this month at the San Diego Museum  of Art. Bob Rowland paints an inspiring picture of end-of-life care at San Diego Hospice. Pat Sherman  explores the mad entrepreneurial genius of the Escondido family that creates Dr. Bronner’s castile soap. And New  York Times staff writer Lee Jenkins (son of San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Logan Jenkins) contributes an  amazing look at the family history of Chargers running back and NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson.

Keep it fresh in 2007. Enjoy the issue.

Ron Donoho
Executive Editor

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