Asian Wisconzine

IMDiversity Employment Opportunity Network

“Preserving Our Past While Building Our Future”

Asian Wisconzine is an all-inclusive monthly magazine (print and online) that provides a cultural focus on diverse Asian peoples who have chosen Wisconsin as their new home. It is a forum for ideas, stories, and events that revolve around Asian American communities, woven together to create an educational tool for understanding and acceptance of each other’s differences. The magazine aims to build from the past, learn from the present, and explore the many possibilities for the future of Asian Americans.

The logo and its color: Asian Wisconzine sums up in two words what this publication is all about: A magazine for Asians (and Asian Americans) in Wisconsin. The yellow to dark brown represents the Asian races alone or in combination with other races.

Content

• Cover Page: The cover celebrates one aspect of an Asian Culture featured for the month. It is a colorful, eye catching photograph or work of art that defines the uniqueness and beauty of an Asian culture. It may also represent an important current event or issue recently covered.
• Center Spread: The center spread may be the cover story or another feature that is photo-heavy with a well-written piece.
• Editorial Page: This is the Editor’s corner, may be an introduction to the whole issue of the month, or an insight into an important coverage. It may also be a general view of the most important issue/s faced by Asian Americans during the month.
• Regular and Special Sections: In response to readers’ feedback, Asian Wisconzine is proud to have different sections written by experienced local and national writers of note. Topics are: Success stories of Asian Americans; politics; health; relevant local news ; taxation; Social Security; gender; the elderly; Arts & Culture, historical bits; among others.
• Columns: Asian American columnists who are considered leaders of their communities discuss contemporary issues that have great impact on them in particular, and on Asian Americans in general. Guest columnists are also featured to provide views and opinions that may or may not agree with those expressed by regular columnists, or views on other issues.
• Display Advertising: Display ads in various sizes and formats placed in story pages most appropriate for them.
• Classified Section: Job advertising.

Main Features

• ALL-GLOSSY print magazine
• The first and only all-inclusive publication for Asian Americans in Wisconsin
• Started in January 2005
• Coverage: State of Wisconsin; with outlets in Madison and Milwaukee areas
• Paid subscribers: 320
• Online version: complete print edition plus online-only articles, exclusive local Video Reports, and online-only ads

Background

Asian Wisconzine was founded in January 2005 by publisher Heidi M. Pascual.  Originally from the Philippines, Pascual has made Wisconsin her home since 1998. Armed with more than 20 years of experience in the field of communication and public relations, Heidi had no doubt she could create a similar career path for herself in the U.S. She isn’t quite there yet, but she has started a trail no one else has done in the state of Wisconsin — publishing the first-ever all-inclusive magazine for Asian Americans in the state.

The publication began as a magazine in newsprint, with a very simple website consisting of a few photos and summaries. Two years later, it became an all-glossy magazine with a number of color pages and photos that jump out of the pages! In its third year, the magazine became, according to UW-Journalism Professor Jim Danky (who’s also a retired librarian at the WI Historical Society), “the longest running and the most professionally made magazine for Asian Americans in the state of Wisconsin.”

Asian Wisconzine has expanded its reach to Milwaukee, Wis. Its online version — aside from a complete repeat of the printed edition — has additional Web-only features: online-only articles (issues/press releases from Asian American legislators in the U.S. Congress, and other issue-related submissions), and video report/clips of the latest events linked to YouTube.

Visit the Web version: www.asianwisconzine.com