By Michael Tomberlin
Time Inc. said today it is shutting down the Birmingham-produced Southern Accents magazine. Time has shut down two Southern Progress magazines in the past year. The September/October 2009 issue will be the magazine's last. Employees were notified at the headquarters in Homewood today. The company said it will continue to operate the SouthernAccents.com Web site.
"Southern Accents is an elegant, sophisticated brand that has resonated with its devoted readers for many years," Sylvia Auton, a Time Inc. executive vice president who oversees its Lifestyle Group, said in a release. "However, in this difficult economy, we need to focus our energy, resources and investment on our biggest and most profitable brands, so we had to make this difficult decision."
It is the second magazine in less than a year Time Inc. has shut down at Birmingham's Southern Progress Co., which also publishes Southern Living and Cooking Light, among other titles. Cottage Living ceased publishing in January.
In 1985 Southern Progress bought Southern Accents from W.R.C. Smith Publishing Co. and merged it with Southern Living Classics. The 32-year-old magazine has been published six times a year and focuses on luxurious homes and gardens, entertaining ideas and features on travel, fine arts and antiques.
