Erie Life Magazine is a monthly regional magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

 published in Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...

. It was founded by Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Rena Tran and began publication in February 2008. The magazine is available in over 500 retail locations in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, western New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, and southern Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 and circulates to over 1,000 subscribers.

Background

Erie Life Magazine, LLC, began operations in July 2007 with the stated goal of providing “a guidebook of love, living, business, education, family, faith, entertainment, dining, and arts and culture.” Erie Life Magazine’s first issue was published in February 2008 and featured a cover story on Erie Philharmonic

Erie Philharmonic

The Erie Philharmonic is a professional orchestra located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Philharmonic has held their performances at the Warner Theatre on State Street in downtown Erie since 1974.-History:...

 conductor Daniel Meyer. Located in the Renaissance Centre in downtown Erie, Erie Life Magazine is the only magazine in the Erie area not affiliated with either local broadcasters or the Erie Times-News

Erie Times-News

The Erie Times-News is a daily morning newspaper in Erie, Pennsylvania. It has a daily circulation of about 56,124 and a Sunday circulation of about 75,680...

. Since its initial publication, Erie Life Magazine has expanded its focus to include stories and features from the Buffalo

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, Cleveland and Pittsburgh areas.
In the June/July 2008 issue, Erie Life Magazine became the first publication in the Erie area to report on the Robert Melzer phone book scam, a case where numerous Erie area businesses were scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue for the “New Erie County Yellow & White Pages,” which would never be published. At present, Melzer is currently awaiting trial.

Recurring sections/features

Certain features are included in every issue of the magazine, including a note from Tran, editorials (usually at the end of the magazine), and calendars of events in Erie, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Buffalo. Each issue of Erie Life Magazine has a theme, which varies each month. The magazine’s regular sections include Food and Dining, Business, Music, Arts and Culture, and Health, in addition to special sections like “Aging Smart” and "Home and Garden." Each issue also includes a “100” list, an often humorous 100 item list about a single theme that varies each month. Past topics have included “100 Things We Love About Erie,” “100 Ways to be a Man,” “100 New Year's Resolutions,” and “100 Guilty Pleasure Foods.”

Covers/celebrities

Erie Life Magazine’s covers often feature a celebrity of local or regional importance. In addition to Meyer on the first issue, previous covers have included Erie natives Katie Linendoll

Katie Linendoll

Katie Linendoll is a TV host, producer and technology expert.Linendoll is a regular contributor to the CBS Early Show, CNN Newsroom and The Nate Berkus Show. She was also the co-host of the A&E reality series We Mean Business along with Peter Gursky and Bill Rancic...

 of A&E

A&E Network

The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...

’s We Mean Business

We Mean Business

We Mean Business is an American reality television series airing on the A&E cable network starting in September 2008. The program features three regular experts: "Business Expert" Bill Rancic, a former contestant on The Apprentice; "Tech Expert" Katie Linendoll; and "Design Expert" Peter Gurski...

 and Sister Joan Chittister, an internationally renowned peace activist and author. Other covers include country music legend Clint Black

Clint Black

Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...

, Iron Chef

Iron Chef

is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...

 Michael Symon

Michael Symon

Michael D. Symon is a James Beard Foundation Award-winning American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author. He is seen regularly on Food Network on shows such as Iron Chef America, Food Feuds, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate, as well as Cook Like an Iron Chef on the Cooking Channel...

, rising country artist Candy Coburn

Candy Coburn

Candy Coburn is an American national performing country music artist who has shared the stage with many notable artists, including Brooks and Dunn, Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Gary Allan, Josh Turner, Lady Antebellum and others...

, and Deal or No Deal's Claudia Jordan

Claudia Jordan

Claudia Jordan is an American television and radio personality. She is primarily known for appearing as a model on the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, and for competing on Season 2 of the Celebrity Apprentice.-Personal life:...

. The magazine has also included features on celebrities ranging from Marilyn Burns

Marilyn Burns

Mary Lynn Ann Burns , better known as Marilyn Burns, is an American actress, best known for her roles in the horror cult films The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , and Eaten Alive...

, star of the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...

 to former WWE superstar Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle

Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...

. Various musicians have been featured as one of their "artists of the month" including Matthew Good

Matthew Good

Matthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, before dissolving the band in 2002...

, Relient K

Relient K

Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...

, The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...

, The Meat Puppets, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight ", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII half-time show in 1999.The band was originally formed in Ventura,...

, and The Decemberists

The Decemberists

The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...

.