Neil Pond
Neil Pond, editorial director of Country Weekly magazine, joins the show to discuss the publication's recent redesign. He elaborates on the extensive changes made to enhance the magazine's appearance and content. Pond also highlights Country Weekly's enduring mission to connect country music fans with their favorite stars.
Editor
Neil Pond
Editorial Director of
Country Weekly Magazine
About Neil Pond
Neil Pond is an entertainment journalist who served as Editorial Director of Country Weekly magazine during its 2000s redesign. His career spans nearly four decades covering country music and entertainment, including roles as entertainment editor at Country America magazine for Meredith Corporation and later at Parade Magazine. He has interviewed major country music stars including Garth Brooks, George Jones, and Reba McEntire. Pond is also a movie critic for Rotten Tomatoes and a voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
In this interview
- Describes the magazine redesign as an 'extreme makeover' from top to bottom.
- Explains Country Weekly serves as a bridge connecting country music fans with stars.
- Notes the magazine's core mission remained unchanged despite the visual overhaul.
“The bones of this magazine are very solid and it's always been the stars, the news, the music, bring it to the fans.”— Neil Pond, in this interview
Since this interview
Pond later served as entertainment editor at Parade Magazine from 2013 to 2022. He received 12 nominations for L.A. Press Club's SoCal Journalism Awards in 2023 and continues as an entertainment writer and freelancer through his platform NeilsEntertainmentPicks.
