Alternative Media Showcase: Hour Magazine
The realm of alternative media is not limited to the United States; in fact, the United States is a historical newcomer to alternative sources of information. Canada is similarly young in its historical development but it has thriving alternative publications in places like Montreal. Hour Magazine is an English-language weekly that is headquartered in Montreal and provides an alternative to the CBC and other media outlets. Regular readers will remember my discussions of alternative publications in Canada, Australia and Ireland several weeks ago. Hour is an impressive weekly because it is relatable to people outside of Montreal.
This publication reaches 53,419 Montreal residents through its print edition along with thousands of readers online. The demographic profile of the average Hour Magazine reader could be applied to many alternative publications. The median income for the average reader is $44,000 USD with 88% of all Hour readers attending college at some point. Another statistic that is important to understanding the tone of Hour Magazine is that 58% of readers fit in that juicy advertising demographic of 18 to 34 years old.
There are several regular features in Hour Magazine that would not be found in mainstream Canadian or American publications. “Three Dollar Bill� is a weekly column devoted to LGBT issues in Montreal, Canada and the United States that is frank and informative. An interesting article in this week’s “Explainer� highlights what Montreal officials and business people claim is the first “smart� hotel on the continent. The usual complement of movie, music, theater and dining reviews round out the clean pages of Hour Magazine. I am looking forward to reading more editions of Hour if only because I have studied politics in Quebec since I was an undergraduate history student.
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