Nowlan, who led the state-published magazine for a decade, has taken a job as vice president of marketing and customer relations for the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties.
Steve Cook, deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, will take over as interim publisher. He was publisher of Vermont Life from April 2009 to December 2011.
Nowlan’s departure comes at a tumultuous time at Vermont’s flagship tourism magazine. The publication has been in financial trouble for a number of years because of drastic shifts in media consumption that have hurt the magazine’s ability to raise revenue.
Despite efforts to cut costs and boost revenues, Vermont Life has struggled to eliminate an ongoing deficit of about $3 million.
The Vermont Legislature and Gov. Phil Scott are considering selling the magazine to a commercial publisher. The 2018 state budget, yet to be finalized, includes language that would allow the state to issue a request for proposals for a sale or licensing rights to the magazine.
No RFP has been drafted, according to Michael Schirling, the secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
Schirling said the administration is still negotiating with the Legislature about what direction to take with the magazine.
“I’m confident Vermont Life has a strong future,” Schirling said.
What the future looks like, however, is an open question. Schirling said the state has several options, including fully subsidizing the magazine and other economic development tools that the publication’s staff helped create. Those include Think Vermont, a website devoted to promoting the Vermont lifestyle to out-of-staters in an effort to boost the state’s population.
A “blended approach,” he said, is also under consideration. In this scenario, the state would form a partnership with another media company. The last option is an outright sale of Vermont Life to a commercial publishing company.
Pesky issues about editorial control or how the deficit would be resolved remain open questions, Schirling said.