The Latest News on CK Media

Today Scrapbook Update brings you more of the latest news on CK Media, including several items relevant to the April issue of Creating Keepsakes, which hit my mailbox today:

• If you are owed money by CK Media for contracts that were signed before early December 2008, the deadline to return the signed paperwork for a settlement is 5pm on the 11th. (Wednesday). For anyone who hasn't received a contact yet from CRG Partners about your invoices, you will need to call 801-816-8420 to get your paperwork ASAP.
• Although Scrapbook Update initially reported on a source being offered 25% of their overdue invoice amount from Creating Keepsakes, other CK Media creditors are reporting being offered 40% of what they are due. The invoices reported to me that were offered 40% payment were smaller amounts than owed to the source who told me they were offered only 25%. This may account for the discrepancy in offers.
• It looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of fresh faces in the pages of CK Media's publications in the near future. Scores of their usual regular designers have finally come out on public forums like the Studio Calico and Two Peas In A Bucket message boards to express their displeasure with the company over unpaid invoices they are owed. Many are also expressing their upset on their personal blogs, such as Lisa Dickinson has. Most of the designer/creditors are indicating they will no longer submit work to the company, so the magazines will have to look for new people to contribute. The last several months it has already appeared they were doing all of their article writing in-house (possibly a cost-cutting move).
• Creative Memories is the new back cover advertiser for Creating Keepsakes, according to a message they've sent to their consultants. Their ad on the back cover of the April issue promotes their StoryBook Creator Plus digital scrapbooking software. The company's digital products were cited in their bankruptcy plan as a key part of the plan to make Creative Memories profitable after emerging from bankruptcy in January.
• A survey of the advertising in the April 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes shows that it is the same length as March 2009 and it contains slightly more paid advertising than the March issue did (29.75 pages versus 27.5 pages, an increase of 8%). This still leaves the magazine at only 23.8% advertising, as opposed to the 33-38% advertising content that the magazine had in its 2008 issues.