Yukon publisher takes over N.W.T.-based Up Here magazine

A Yukon-based publisher is the new owner of two more northern magazines: Up Here, and Up Here Business.

"Our family is becoming a little bit bigger," said Manu Keggenhoff, creative director and co-publisher of Yukon's North of Ordinary Media. "We are uniting the North."

The business currently publishes Yukon North of Ordinary, the in-flight magazine for Yukon's Air North. Acquiring the Yellowknife-based Up Here Publishing gives the company a more pan-northern focus and reach, said Keggenhoff.

"It was a natural move, basically," Keggenhoff said.

"There are so many similarities across the territories and when the opportunity arose, we just thought, yeah, that is the next natural step to take."

Greg Karais, owner of North of Ordinary Media, said the deal was finalized last week. He said Up Here's long-time publishers were simply ready to retire after decades of helming those magazines.

Karais wouldn't say how much the deal was worth.

"It's just a cool opportunity to meet a lot of new people and go different places," he said.

"We don't want to compete with each other, but it creates opportunities for each other as well. Whether it's shared stories, shared photography, subscriptions, advertising — all those things that make it work. I think it can make it work stronger."

Keggenhoff said it was important to them that Up Here Publishing stay "in northern hands."

"It would have been sad to see it go," she said.

Karais and Keggenhoff said there are no plans to make significant changes to Up Here or Up Here Business. The current staff there will remain, though the publication schedule may be adjusted.

Karais said even at a time when many print-based publications are struggling to stay afloat, he's optimistic about the future of the three magazines.

"We keep the stories to ourselves. We're not sharing it online. I mean, newspapers have built their own death by giving their content away. We don't give it away unless you're picking up that magazine, whether it's free on the plane, or you subscribe to it," he said.

"The key to it is, we put people's faces in it. Like, people want to know what their neighbours are doing in those communities, and it's gonna remain that way."