Awards finale devilishly fun for Safipour

Susan Dowdney Safipour

By Joanie Kindblade

While publishing a regional lifestyle magazine may sound like a walk in the park to some journalists, the schedule is anything but. Just ask Susan Dowdney Safipour ('84), editor in chief at Diablo magazine. Diablo focuses on travel, culture, entertainment, recreation and food for the San Francisco East Bay market.

"Working at Diablo is fun and exciting," Safipour said, "but given our intense production cycle, there's not a lot of room for downtime."

On April 21, Diablo won first place in the Best Regional and State categories at the Western Publications Associations annual Maggies Awards presentation. Diablo editors were understandably proud. But at the program's finale, they were flabbergasted when the magazine was named the best overall publication, Safipour said.

"That's the final award of the evening; you don't submit for it," she said. "The judges review all the consumer magazines on the West Coast in the Western Publications Association – like Sunset and PC World. I never ever thought Diablo would win best OP. I was completely stunned."

Safipour joined Diablo in 2000, following more than 15 years in newspapers, including seven years with the Contra Costa Times.

Although she was a broadcast journalism major at CU, Safipour worked for an afternoon newspaper in Rawlins, Wyo., following her graduation. During her stint there, she said she uncovered a scandal involving the finances of the area recreational center.

"Quite a few people ended up losing their jobs, like the city manager and the treasurer," Safipour said.

Although she was relatively new to the field, Safipour said she used the basic skills she learned at CU to uncover the truth.

"CU taught me how to ask the right questions and to not take no for an answer," she said.

Working in a newsroom taught Safipour essential skills, such as writing stories quickly and the importance of spelling names right.

"One professor at CU (the late Sam Archibald) drilled into us how important it was to spell a name correctly," she said. "Misspelling someone's name is an instant loss of authority."

At Diablo, Safipour said goodbye to the jamming schedule of a daily newspaper and hello to the demands of producing a monthly publication.

"We're working on four issues at the same time and operate with a lean staff," she said. "It's a passionate team of news junkies. Diablo wouldn't work if we weren't as dedicated as we are."

Safipour said she strives to meet the needs of their audience by blending art and culture while tackling tough issues important to readers.

"Balancing the needs of our readers is our primary goal," she said.

 "This magazine is a luxury. People don't have to read Diablo, but we want to deliver a product that resonates with all of our different audience members."

To make sure Diablo stands apart from the other magazines, Safipour said she and her editing staff have to know the area and the people who live in it.

"Susan is always looking to enhance that knowledge and our coverage," said LeeAnne Carson, her managing editor. "When she meets Diablo readers in the community, she'll quiz them on what they like and don't like about the magazine or what they feel is missing from it."

Recently, Safipour said she orchestrated a complete redesign of the magazine.

The eight months of work spent on the redesign has paid off, she said.

Initial feedback by readers indicates they are pleased.

"One reader wrote in to say the magazine is still gorgeous," Safipour said. "Usually, you hear from readers when they are angry, not when they are pleased. "And one advertiser told me, 'Diablo no longer has competition.'" ssafipour@mailDiablo.com