IT'S NO NEWS THAT THE FIRST FEW years of the 1990s haven't been good for the newspaper industry: papers are shrinking, massive layoffs are common, and real innovation is rare. That's why the appointment last summer of Neil Reynolds as editor of New Brunswick's sister papers the Saint John Telegraph Journal and the Evening Times Globe attracted such attention. Reynolds, of course, is the former editor of The Kingston Whig-Standard, whose 12 years at the paper are widely regarded as the Whig's golden era.

What made the choice of Reynolds remarkable is the ownership of the two papers. Both, along with the other two English dailies in the province, are part of the Irving publishing empire, whose papers have long had a reputation for profound mediocrity.

The ambition to change that perception came from then general manager Valerie Millen, the woman who brought Reynolds to Saint John. Millen oversaw a complete revamping of the look and content of the papers. The Canadian Press wire service, upon which they once depended, was eliminated in order to hire more editorial staff and strengthen the papers' bureaus in Fredericton and Moncton; as a result, the Times Globe has become a predominantly community-based paper, while the stronger bureaus have allowed the Journal to become the provincial paper it has always claimed to be.

Harvey Enchin, in an article in The on Globe and Mail last November, credited Millen with fashioning an "unlikely beacon of hope for the troubled Canadian newspaper industry," and described the papers' transformation as "nothing short of a miracle." But some praise should be reserved for Reynolds also. He is generating an enthusiasm previously unknown among the staff of Irving papers, adopting an independent editorial stance in relation to the Irving family of companies, and generally putting out much better papers. Less well known is that he is also attempting to duplicate the success of one of his innovations at the Whig: a weekly magazine insert that carries original articles and artwork. The Whig-Standard Magazine, which won four National Magazine A wards during its 13 years, was known for its literate style and articles on everything from opera to Afghanistan. For the moment, Reynolds' vision for his new magazine, The New Brunswick Reader, is slightly more modest. It's designed to be, he says, "a celebration of New Brunswick." But in a province long poorly served by newspapers and magazines, even that goal seems ambitious.

The building where the two papers share space is a cement bunker that could be charitably described as unassuming. The description is equally apt for the magazine Reynolds launched last November. The 28-page tabloid-format Reader is produced on the same newsprint that was previously used for the American entertainment insert Cover Story, which the Reader replaced. Each issue features a four-colour cover shot of a New Brunswick-produced artifact-one week it might be a handcrafted leather briefcase, the next, an antique coverlet; however, there's no colour inside. A typical issue contains a short story, a book review or two (always of titles by New Brunswickers or about the province), The New York Times crossword puzzle, one of two regular columns-either on Acadian issues or commentary by novelist David Adams Richards-and listings of arts events around the province. Finally, there's almost always a "big" piece: recent examples have included a nine-page profile of Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who plans to open New Brunswick's first abortion clinic late this month, a revealing day-in-the-life profile of one of Fredericton's public defenders, and an article on the combative players in the American Hockey League.

The Reader's editor, Shawn a Richer, says the magazine's mission is presenting what makes New Brunswick distinctive. But there are, of course, business goals for the magazine as well, although for now, ad revenue is not a priority-most issues carry only one or two small ads. As Reynolds explains: "The economic defence is not in its ad content but in its benefit to circulation. If we can deliver 5,000 or 10,000 new readers, that's a significant economic contribution to the paper." Since November, sales of the weekend paper have risen from about 56,000 to 62,000.

Last winter, Valerie Millen, who has since left the publication, said it was difficult to attract advertisers without being able to define the audience. "The only definition we have is that it was created for people who like to read-a very difficult target market to pin down for an advertiser. The audience is really a mixed bag."

Because it's not bringing in any ad money, the Reader has an annual freelance budget of $40,000, an amount that would scarcely cover the freelance bill for one issue of Saturday Night. As a result, most material is written by staffers at the papers, who are given time off their regular beats to produce Reader pieces. Richer says there is healthy competition among writers to get in the magazine. Charlie Gillis, who joined the staff last September and has contributed three pieces to the Reader, says of the experience: "It is exciting and very challenging, a great opportunity for reporters to use the knowledge they've gained on their beats." Despite the constraints of a budget that allows Richer to pay contributors only $200 to $400 for "significant" longer articles, she is trying to attract more freelance pieces. "People have started phoning us and sending us stories," she says. "Some of them are terrible but some of them are very good." The same could be said of the magazine itself. Despite Reynolds' desire to see "aggressive journalism, good hard writing in a literary format," to date much of the Reader's content has been a few notches below National Magazine Award standards, although Gillis' piece on the AHL was nominated for a 1994 National Newspaper Award.

Part of the problem is that neither the authors nor editors are particularly familiar with magazines and magazine writing. Harry Bruce, perhaps the region's most experienced magazine writer and editor, points out another flaw. He says he likes the idea of the Reader, but what he noticed most about several of the early issues was its unimaginative use of photos. "My first reaction was that the use of pictures was pretty bad." He mentions in particular the Morgentaler piece, which included eight unextraordinary half- and full page photographs of the doctor, and a story on the VIA Rail train Atlantic, which featured pages of virtually identical close-up shots of the train.

"That didn't work the way we intended it to," says Richer of the train photos. "We were trying something a little different that didn't quite work out. We are still evolving. We'll get better." In late winter, Richer was thinking of organizing a personal professional development course for herself in Toronto, during which she hoped to spend some time at major magazines. Meanwhile, Reynolds seems untroubled by the Reader's unsophisticated style: "There are a lot of educated people in this province but the value structure is very different. Here, people's values are rooted in the home and the community. I'm trying to get a feeling in the Reader that reflects those values."

The Reader may be somewhat unpolished, but until its creation last November, nothing existed at all. As Richer explains, "The province has never been examined in this way before." The cultural community certainly welcomes the magazine. Julie Scriver, art director of the Fredericton publishing firm, Goose Lane Editions, says, "It's very beneficial in buoying up the arts community. The exposure it gives, in theory, will lead to more public interest." In her view, even negative coverage can be helpful: "People tend not to remember if a review was bad or not, just that they read something about a book in the paper." Tom Smart, curator of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, also believes the Reader is serving a useful purpose. "There's nothing like it in this part of the country. I was at a party recently where everyone seemed to be talking about it. It's generating a lot of reaction-I think positive reaction."

Reynolds thinks so too, but he is not sentimental about the Reader. "It would be stupid to publish something out of a sense of ego," he says matter-of-factly. But he is hopeful that his creation will continue to improve, creatively and economically. "It takes time to gain friends and influence sales," he says. "The magazine won't deliver its full potential benefit until the end of its first year." Shawna Richer, meanwhile, expects that her magazine will be around long after its first birthday. "I'd like the Reader to become the best newspaper magazine in the country," she says. For now, the fact that it's one of the only newspaper magazines in the country is worth applauding.