R.I. Monthly wins its first CRMA gold award

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island Monthly magazine won a gold award in the National City and Regional Magazine Association’s 23rd annual CRMA Awards.
It beat out two larger publications – the Minneapolis St. Paul magazine and Los Angeles magazine – to take first place in the multimedia extensions category for the marketing and promotion of its October 2007 “Free Buddy” issue. That issue featured former Providence Mayor Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr., in his first in-depth interview after his release from federal prison.
Judges praised the issue’s promotion, saying it employed “highly authoritative” radio and TV ads that were “uniquely incorporated into the overall strategy to cross-promote this issue, increase awareness and bolster sales,” as part of “an exceptionally strong cross-promotion strategy that showed solid results.”
A top seller for the magazine, the issue was widely covered by local television and radio outlets. Its cover article, entitled “Free Buddy,” is still available at www.RIMonthly.com.
“To have been a finalist in the past was exciting, but to win first place over two much larger magazines was exhilarating for us,” John Palumbo, the president and publisher of Rhode Island Monthly Communications Inc., said in a statement yesterday afternoon. “We knew the Cianci interview would create a lot of buzz on the local front, but to have our efforts recognized nationally is very gratifying.”
The new award – bestowed this Monday, at the CRMA’s annual conference in Memphis – was the publication’s first gold, although Rhode Island Monthly has won a number of lesser CRMA awards in the past.
This year’s CRMA competition attracted more than 912 entries, competing for 84 awards. Finalists were selected by a panel of more than 70 judges, including representatives from publications including Esquire, O, The Oprah Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Sports Illustrated, Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Food & Wine, Folio, ESPN The Magazine, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune, as well as professors from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. The school has been coordinating the CRMA contest for the past 12 years.
Rhode Island Monthly Communications Inc. is a publisher of magazines and specialty publications including Rhode Island Monthly Magazine, several lifestyle and tourism publications for southeastern New England and a variety of custom projects. For more information, visit www.RIMonthly.com.
The National City and Regional Magazine Association is a trade group for the publishing industry. Additiona information, including the full list of 2008 CRMA Award winners, is available at www.citymag.org.