When Allison Entrekin received her first paycheck as a freelancer from Atlanta Magazine, she taped the paystub on the wall of her home office. She always thought the bar for excellence in reporting had been set at the publication, where celebrated writers such as Pat Conroy and Tom Junod have contributed over the years.
Now, more than two decades later, Entrekin has been tapped to lead the magazine. As the publication reaches its 65th year of operation, she was named editor-in-chief in February, and will oversee content across print, digital and social platforms. She is replacing Scott Freeman, who retired in January after two years in the role.
Entrekin’s goals are to feature new voices, add more dining and travel coverage and expand the publication’s digital footprint, including a new podcast. She said she has a strong focus on design and wants to ensure longform narrative continues in the magazine.
“I’ve spent my entire career [in Atlanta] as a journalist, and, in my view, editor-in-chief of Atlanta Magazine is the dream role,” Entrekin said. “It’s the thing I dreamt about when I was just starting in journalism.”
Entrekin has worked in Atlanta media for more than two decades. She graduated with her master’s in journalism from the University of Georgia in 2004 and began her career at Jezebel Magazine, a fashion and travel magazine under the Modern Luxury brand. In 2010, she became the founding editor-in-chief of Simply Buckhead, and later served as executive editor of travel magazine Southbound, a brand of Atlanta Magazine. She was also a managing editor of the now-shuttered Atlanta dining magazine Flavors. Her writing has also appeared in Travel + Leisure and USA Today, among others.
Entrekin has begun her position during a period of change for the magazine industry. The economics have shifted significantly over the last two decades. Staffs are smaller. Budgets are tighter. The costs of paper and printing have risen. Audiences, and advertisers, are increasingly shifting their attention to digital platforms, and publications are having to reckon with sudden drop-offs in website traffic because of artificial intelligence chatbots.
It’s difficult to obtain numbers regarding the circulation or revenue of many magazines. But in 2024, more than half the magazines audited by the nonprofit Audit Bureau of Circulation reported their print circulation declined by 10% or more. National titles have shuttered over the years, from entertainment-focused publications such as In Touch Weekly to fashion-focused magazines such as InStyle. Regional titles are also facing the same headwinds.
Print is still valuable, however, to readers and advertisers looking to reach specific audiences. New titles launch every year. In 2022, Atlanta Magazine launched a new quarterly magazine: GaBiz Magazine, which covers business stories through what it calls a lifestyle lens. A chief challenge is in distribution — getting people to subscribe when they can access a wealth of free information online — as well as getting readers to pickup and purchase a copy at a newsstand.
City and regional magazines are doing particularly well, said Bo Sacks, a printing and publishing industry consultant. People want local news about what’s going on in their community and how it affects them.
“Niche is what’s carrying the publishing community,” Sacks said. “If you can drill further down into a niche, you have a good chance of success. If you’re a general purpose magazine, you’re in trouble.”
Atlanta Magazine is reaching about 286,000 readers in print, its publisher Sean McGinnis said in an email. This number includes copies sent to individual households, public places such as doctors offices, hotel rooms, airport lounges, events and newsstands. The website averages about 304,437 pageviews per month, according to its 2025 media kit.
Though its flagship title is a key part of Atlanta Magazine’s business, it is not the only part. It releases two other quarterly publications — the travel-focused Southbound and home and garden magazine Georgia Design. It has a custom media division, which creates special advertising sections, such as Top Doctors or Super Lawyers, and provides print and digital publishing services to corporate clients. It also hosts events, such as its annual Whiskey Festival or Women Making a Mark awards ceremony.
Conversations over Entrekin taking the reins began last fall, when McGinnis reached out to her to see if she was interested in applying. She was the right person for a number of reasons, McGinnis said in an email. She had already worked with the publication and many of its staff, and brought an entrepreneurial spirit to the job.
Entrekin said she believes she brings new energy and is committed to the role long-term. She is the fourth editor-in-chief at the helm of the publication in a decade.
“I told Sean, and I’ll hold to it, I’m going to give this my absolute all,” Entrekin said. “This is, to me, the role of a lifetime, and I’m going to give it everything.”
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