First issue 1981 (1981) | Total circulation 344,000 Company NOW Communications | |
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Categories Alternative weekly newspaper | ||
Now (styled as NOW), also known as Now Magazine, is a free alternative weekly newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Contents
It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage. Editorially, it strongly favours the New Democratic Party (NDP) politically.
Independent and privately owned by Hollett and Klein, Now is published 52 times a year. The publication can be picked up in cafes, variety stores, clothing outlets, restaurants, alternative movie venues and in its green and red newspaper boxes. Now is published every Thursday.
Now has been online since 1993, first as now.com and then as nowtoronto.com since 2000. The Now site hosts a video channel, NowTube, daily blog postings, and podcasts. In August 2009 Now launched its first smartphone application, a restaurant guide based on the publication’s N rating system. Other applications are in development.
The Toronto Star launched Eye Weekly in 1991 as a competitor to Now, although Now consistently remained the more widely read publication and Eye Weekly folded in 2011.
It is also a central sponsor and its owners hold an ownership stake in North by Northeast, a major annual music festival in Toronto.
Content
Syndicated content in Now includes Dan Savage's "Savage Love" sex advice column and Rob Brezsny's "Real Astrology". Prominent columnists include:
Susan G. Cole - Senior Entertainment Editor
Glenn Sumi - Associate Entertainment Editor
Jon Kaplan - Senior Theatre Writer
Norm Wilner- Senior Film Writer
Benjamin Boles - Music Coordinator/Writer
Andrew Sardone - Fashion Writer
Ellie Kirzner – Senior News Editor
Enzo DiMatteo - Associate News Editor
Wayne Roberts - News Writer
John Semley - Online Editor
Adria Vasil - Ecoholic
Now publishes a complement of comprehensive Guide Issues every year. Some of these include:
The Winter Special
The Love & Sex Guide
The Money Issue
The Fashion Issue
The Ecoholic Issue
The Restaurant Guide
The Patio Guide
The Hot Summer Guide (x3)
The NXNE Guide/Pride Preview
The Green Issue
The TIFF Issue
The Sweet Deals Guide
The Fall Guide
The Best of Toronto Guide
The Holiday Guide (x2)
The NYE Planner
The Year End Review
Green efforts
Some of these efforts include the construction of the Green Roof in 2006. The roof helps to keep the building temperature regulated while using less energy which aids in keeping pollution low. The plant life, which is a sedum species, helps to purify the air. The green roof also reduces stormwater runoff - which can cause sewage backup during periods of deluge. NOW implements a 100% recycled paper policy and uses only vegetable-based dyes for print. This effort, each year, saves over 28,000 living trees, reduces greenhouse gases - the equivalent given off by 534 cars, eliminates 7 swimming pools of waste water and saves 79 garbage trucks worth of solid waste. Now also partners with Green Enterprise Toronto (GET) and Canopy (formerly Markets Initiative). Both companies are dedicated to responsible business and green initiatives.