Launching a magazine or Web site in the midst of a recession is never an easy task. But we think there are a few new pubs on the block that will be around for awhile. Even mediabistro.com got in the launching spirit, debuting four new blogs this year: WebNewser, MediaJobsDaily, BayNewser and eBookNewser.

As the year closes out, here’s a look at some of the biggest launches in print and online.

Magazines
Much-anticipated travel magazine Afar celebrated its launch in August with an opulent party, pretty unheard of these days.

Get Married proved that there is still room in the bridal magazine market, despite the closure of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride this year.

And Modern added another design magazine to the mix.

Cookie may have crumbled, but Bonnier Corp. successfully split its parenting magazine into two editions, Parenting Early Years and Parenting School Years, later raising the rate base of School Years.

Other notable launches: Children’s Health, Organic Beauty, Women’s magazine VAIN and two Reader’s Digest Association launches, DIY mag Fresh Home and Rick Warren‘s Purpose Driven Connection, which folded later in the year.

After the jump, online magazine and blog launches

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

min’s favorite magazines range from animal-focused (Cesar’s Way) to experimental travel (Afar), to the Flair-based Vintage, which reminded us that excess is not always a bad thing.

We were also surprised to see a Time Inc. title on the list, what with all the cutbacks the company has had to make of late, but the idea behind Mine was to compile the best articles from the publishing house, so why buy the individual issues when you can have a printed RSS feed?

Of course it’s not all good news: Reader’s Digest Association managed to launch the religious Purpose Driven Connection by megapastor Rick Warren in January, only to have the print publication go online only by November.

Read More: min’s Exclusive 2009 Launch Review –minOnline

Previously: Time Inc. To Let You Make Your Own Magazine, New Magazine Pays Homage To Old Magazines

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Yesterday, editor-in-chief Peggy Northrop mentioned at the ASME luncheon that the Reader’s Digest brand would never again launch a magazine that wasn’t able to perform across different media platforms. And today, RDA continues its attempts to get back in the black, and no it doesn’t involve firing staffers. It looks like the company will be moving its staffers from its offices in Pleasantville, N.Y.

As Keith Kelly reported this morning:

“Some of the 600 employees based in [Pleasantville] will be relocated to White Plains, N.Y. But executive offices and Reader’s Digest magazine’s editorial will move to space at 750 Third Avenue that was recently vacated by S.I. Newhouse’s Condé Nast Publications.

So some editorial staffers will be going to White Plains while the corporate headquarters and other editorial staffers move to NYC to share in the same building as Condé Nast. (FishbowlNY previously reported that The Economist is also moving into that building in the second quarter of next year.) While it’s always terrible to have to pick up your life and move elsewhere for a job, relocating to New York isn’t the worst thing to happen to a magazine staff in the last, oh say, 24 hours. In terms of restructuring, this is one of the more positive moves we’ve seen in awhile, which it should be obvious by the very un-restructuring phrase in CEO Mary Berner‘s letter to the staffers, “Some of you will be excited by this change…”

Berner’s full memo to RDA staffers after the jump.

Previously: Reader’s Digest Files For Ch. 11

Read More: Reader’s Digest moving to NYC –New York Post

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

BayNewser: The Wall Street Journal is launching its local San Francisco edition tomorrow. WSJ told BayNewser that editing and reporting on the edition will be done by current Journal staff — compared to The New York Times‘ Bay Area pub, which is looking for partners to produce content.

MediaWeek: Reader’s Digest Association folds quarterly Christian-themed magazine and Rick Warren vehicle Purpose Driven Connection.

New York Observer: John Seeley, former deputy managing editor of The New York Sun, has been picked to lead The Wall Street Journal‘s new New York-focused section.

Editor & Publisher: About 50 newspapers who have given The Associated Press notice that they may cancel their subscriptions have rescinded their cancellation notices in recent months. About 130 remain under cancellation notices, while papers like The New York Daily News have said they won’t end their relationship with the AP.

Wall Street Journal: No surprise here: newspapers are suffering from severe advertising declines and need to show some real gains soon in order to have any chance of survival.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

A majority of the cuts will likely affect several of RDA’s foreign publications, “but I think there will definitely be some cuts” at RDA’s Pleasantville, NY headquarters, the source says. A corporate communications representative at Reader’s Digest Association was unavailable for official comment today, but we’ll update you with additional information as it comes in.

In a November 2008 report on the company’s operating performance, Reader’s Digest described the first quarter of its 2009 fiscal year as “challenging for the company.” Recent news hasn’t been all bad, however, and new products aren’t on hold, even with layoffs on the way:

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.