Competitive Edge
Philadelphia Weekly editor-in-chief Tim Whitaker recently had this to say about the profusion of new magazines on the Main Line: “I’m betting the new competition will be good for Main Line Today.”
He should know. PW has successfully coexisted with its chief competitor, City Paper, for decades. And like my old boss and friend, I’ve learned that competition is both inevitable and potentially healthy. In our case, it fends off complacency and inspires renewed focus to ensure that MLT is the best magazine of its kind in the area, not just the first.
Naturally, we’re proud to be the first—building our loyal readership and advertising base through hard work and handshakes. For proof of our investment in the Main Line, look no further than the Alzheimer’s Association, March of Dimes, CASA/Youth Advocates or one of the many other charity organizations we’ve championed and supported over the last 10 years. Or stop into one of the hundreds of local businesses we’ve profiled in our annual Best of the Main Line and Western Suburbs issue.
We value our hard-earned standing in the community—so much so that we recently took action to protect it. Our concern hasn’t been with the competition. After all, imitation is the best form of flattery. Rather, we wanted to guard against the dilution of our magazine’s established name and brand.
We’ve noted in these pages that while the Main Line continues to change, its most distinguishing feature is its rich history and deeply rooted traditions. For 11 years, Main Line Today has embraced that history and, in the process, earned a place among these traditions. We look forward to establishing a few new ones in the years to come.
IN THIS ISSUE: If it feels that not quite a year has passed since our last Top Dentists issue, you’d be accurate. After moving the popular annual feature to August in 2006, we’ve gone back to running it in June—just so you can fix that smile before beach weather really kicks in. We also updated our balloting process, blasting e-mails to more than a thousand dentists in Montgomery, Chester and Delaware counties. The response was immediate and tremendous. Hopefully we saved a few trees as well. You’ll also find our annual Summer Fun Guide in this issue. Travel editor Marilyn Odesser-Torpey covered some serious ground on Long Beach Island to highlight the best its first-class Shore towns have to offer. Elsewhere, our resident foodie, associate editor Dawn E. Warden, gets the jump on the latest culinary news and menu offerings at the finest restaurants near the beach.
See you on the parkway.
