Magazine launches & events 1999
Magazines by cover date with most recent at top. Alphabetic list on right. Launches in other years.Cosmopolitan HairWinter. National Magazines. £2.95;132 pages. Editor: Mandi NorwoodBrand extension with money-off vouchers Nat Mags profile Women's magazines case study |
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Newsweek e-LifeWinter 1999. Newsweek; Editor: Peter McGrath.'The best stuff for your family'. Stuart Little, a computer-generated mouse from the eponomyous film, on the cover. Newsagents were advised on the cover: 'Keep on sale until January 3, 2000' History of digital magazines |
InciteOctober. Computec Media US. £1.99(99p); 192 pages. Editor: Tasos KaiafasTwo versions of launch issue: one with CD-Rom and a Lara Croft cover; the other at 99p with no CD-Rom and a wrestler, Kid Rock, on the cover |
M – The Mirror Magazine26 October. Editor: Tina Weaver. Free with Tuesdays Mirror. Sun ran spoilers: coupons for free BBC Good Homes on Oct 19; Sun Woman as newsprint tabloidpull-out on Oct 20. An example of growing competition for readers fromnewspaper supplements. Magazine later upgraded and moved to Saturday slotMirror profile |
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JumpOctober. Mollin/Weider. £1.20. Editor: Rebecca Martin. Chief sub-editor: Laleh Guilanpour. ProductionController: Louise Clay. Cover mount: nail art gift (£1.80); specialprice £1.20Followed a limited edition preview posted to teenagers and dummy issue. Spice Girl Mel C on the cover. Coverlinesincluded: 'Top 10 footie pin-ups Pwhaaarr!' Attempt to launch US title in UK based on US content and formula: closed December 2000. Other titles sold to Dennis Mollin profile Women's magazines case study |
CosmoGirl! (US)October/November. Hearst (US). Distributed by Comag. £3.50Features: website: cosmogirl.com; 4 inserts; centrefold; college handbook; calendar Nat Mags profile Women's magazines case study |
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@DemonAutumn. Haymarket contract title for Demon, an internet service providerHistory of digital magazines Haymarket profile |
Your CarAutumn. Gruner + Jahr; £2.50;196 pages. Editors: Julia Goodwin and Mark Payton.'From the publishers of Prima and What Car? [Haymarket] New for women.' Lucky number 0906 competition on cover Car magazines case study Gruner + Jahrprofile |
Escape RoutesAutumn. EMAP Elan. £2.40; pocket guide; offers;display bagTravel magazines Emap profile |
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The NetAugust. Haymarket. £1.99, 148 pages. Editor: Tim McCannCatherine Zeta-Jones cover. thenetmag.co.uk. A5 sampler distributed with Autocar 23 June issue; double-page advertisingspread in July Revolution, plus wraparound, both Haymarket titles.Closed October 2001 Haymarket profile |
Top CarJuly. Topmedia Publishing. £2.99 with CD-Rom.www.topcar.com Car magazines case study |
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Men's FitnessJuly. Mollin. £1 special; 148 pages. Editor: Ben Webb.Monochrome cover with dayglo inkfor cover lines. Tagline: Get fit or feel s**t. Mollin profile Men's magazines case study |
Cosmopolitan Real Life StoriesSummer. National Magazines. £2.95;100 pages. Editor: Mandi NorwoodBrand extension has seen Cosmopolitan launching a variety of spin-offs, such as Hair and Brides.Also, badging consumer goods, such as yoghurt and cars Women's weeklies case study Women's magazines case study |
Internet AdvisorFuture; £1.99; 116 pages. Editor: Cliff DouseWith CD-Rom Digital History Future profile |
 Heat ran a roll-call of 30 celebs who had 'done it' as part of a special on cocaine |
Heat on cocaine5 June 1999. Issue 18. Emap. £1.25, 106 pages. Editor: Mark FrithFrom actor John Alford through Elton John to US chat show host Oprah Winfrey, Heat ran a roll-call of 30 celebs who had 'done it' as part of a special on cocaine. 'Unlike everyone else, we don't mean to judge or expose – we're just interested,' was how it introduced the four-page story. Contrast this attitude with The Face two years later. The Face on cocaine Emap profile |
Celebrating ChelseaMay. Channel 4/Cabal. £3.95, 164 pages. Editor: Sarah StaceyBacked television coverage of Chelsea Flower Show Cabal profile |
ProcyclingMay. Cabal. £2.95 with video.Editor: William FotheringhamBought by Future www.procycling.com Cabal profile Future profile |
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New EdenMay/June. IPC Magazines. £3.50 square A4 format. www.neweden.co.ukAttempt to establish a 'contemporary gardens magazine failed when it closed in 2000 IPC profile |
 The Radio Times the week of the killing showed Dando in a James-Bondesque pose with a 'murder' book club advert on the back  A theory reported in the Sunday Telegraph was that the 'Couldn't you just murder' advert allied to the Dando cover might have encouraged a deranged fan |
Radio Times cover theory on Jill Dando murder24-30 April. BBC, London. 79p; 140pp. Ed: Sue RobinsonJill Dando, a popular BBC TV presenter of series such as Crimewatch, was shot dead on her doorstep in London on Monday, 26 April. It was front-page news, even for broadsheets such as the Guardian. She was on the cover of the Radio Times that very week promoting a new series, Antiques Inspectors. An early theory was that her killing had been sparked by a message read from the front and back pages of the magazine (Sunday Telegraph, 2 May, p23). A fantasist who had posed as an SAS soldier, pretended to be a stuntman and claimed he was a cousin of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, was convicted for the murder in 2001. The judgment was quashed six years later and the man was acquitted at a retrial in 2008. The Radio Times theory seemed to be disproved when it was noted in the trial that a copy of the Dando cover was not found at the accused's home. The day after Dando's killing, an episode of A Life of Grime, in which environmental health officers had to deal with a rotting body, was postponed. The Radio Times was not withdrawn, probably because it was the last day on sale.BBC Magazines profile |
Take a Break Fiction FeastApril. Bauer. £1.20; 52 pages.Very thin paper. Spin-off from the popular weekly, which included an advertisement for another example of brand extension, a music CD Women's weeklies case study Bauer profile |
Nylon (US)April. C/o The Standard Hollywood. US$2.99, £2.50 (Seymour).The new magazine for women (and smart men). www.nylonmag.com |
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Level4130 Publishing. £2.50, 100 pages. Editor: Chris QuigleySecond launch of the year after Blend for a publisher that was to makes its name in extreme sports. 4130 profile Men's magazines A-Z |
Rock SoundApril. Freeway Press. £1.95 offer price (£2.35)With CD and bound-in A3 poster |
ShineApril. Attic Futura. £2.40; 148 pages. Editor: Lucy Bulmer.Taking a modern approach to health,beauty, body and soul'. With card cover and stylish make-up bag Attic Futura profile Women's magazines case study |
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EgoMarch/April. Portfolio Magazines.£2.90, 164 pages. Editor: Marie Sim'oneBoxer Prince Nazeem on the cover of this men's launch. Adverts in Guardian with WHS Smith: 'Ego has landed at WHS' Men's magazines case study |
Chat Crime & PassionMarch (no cover date). IPC. £1;60 pages. Editor: Keith Kendrick.One of a series of Chat spin-offs;others included Get Fit & Fab and Juicy Fiction (bothat £1.10; Editor: Paul Merrill). Also, possible spoiler against Cabal proposed launch in the same area, which never appeared Women's weeklies case study IPC profile |
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FlipsideMarch 6. Vedapoint Ltd. 90p. Tabloid fortnightly. Fancy cover: tabloid front, A4 back, similar to 1960s Rolling Stone format.We are not your enemy. Turned into A4 stapled format with £1 price for issue 9 in June |
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GQ Rommel controversy: editor sackedMarch. Conde Nast. £2.90'Sex and violence' issue. James Brown (ex-Loaded) gets the sack after 18 months, supposedly for featuring German WWII general Erwin Rommel in a piece on stylish men Conde Nast profile Men's magazines case study |
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Boys ToysMarch/April. Freestyle. First issue. £2.70; 132pp. Editor: Kirsty Robinson'Because you only live once' Men's magazines case study |
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Neon closesFebruary. Emap MetroABC sales figure to June 98 was 40,147, compared with Empire's 166,123 Emap profile |
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Options closesFebruary. IPCPlan to develop Project B: new fashion title led by Deborah Bee, former editor of Scene. This became Nova in 2000 IPC profile Women's magazines case study |
Sunday Herald7 February. Scottish Media GroupRare launch of new Sunday paper in Scotland Scottish newspapers Sunday Herald case study |
 Heat got off to a rocky start but soon became a celeb favourite. Pulp was a full dummy issue dated 13 November 1998   Heat named 30 celebs who had 'done it' – taken cocaine (June 1999) |
Heat6 February 1999. EMAP Metro. £1.25, 116 pages'The ultimate weekly entertainment fix.' Was codenamed 'Project J' and got as far as being produced as a 108-page dummy with the name Pulp. Entertainment-based magazine aimed at 20-30-year-olds with sales target of 130,000. Television advertising for the first issue, which showed people bursting into flames, led to 150 complaints from viewers, who said it was 'distressing' and 'totally inappropriate'. Emap said 'We have taken a surreal approach to the creative idea of reading the "hottest" new weekly entertainment magazine which covers the burning issues of the week.' |
Woman MakeoversJanuary-March. IPC. £1.10. Editor: Julia Shaw (Woman 60p)Brand extension for the popular weekly Women's weeklies case study IPC profile |
Delux closesJanuary/February. Wagadon. £2.50, 132 pages. Launched in May 1998 as stapled men's magazine. Revamp in perfect-bound format failed. Wagadon later taken over by EmapWagadon profile Men's magazines case study |
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EvoJanuary. MMC Ltd. £3; 164pages. Editor: John BarkerLater sold on to Dennis Dennis profile Car magazines |
BlendJanuary 7. 4130 Publishing. £2.50Style, music and travel 4130 profile |
ObserverJanuarySunday newspaper redesign. Escape travel section; Cash personal finance; overhaul. Start of an investment strategy by its new owners, The Guardian, that was to see it launch several monthly magazine supplements Observer profile |