Magazine launches & events 2004
Magazines by cover date with most recent at top. Alphabetic list on right.Other magazine launch pages
In development
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FT Creative Business weekly closesThe Financial Times has closed its pullout media section Creative Business as a weekly after four years. The 14 December issue was the last. It will appear monthly in the New Year, with two pages inside the paper devoted to the media and creative industries each week. The supplement failed to attract much advertising and the move is part of a cost-cutting drive. The Telegraph closed its media section earlier in the year and the Times reduced its media coverage on Fridays. However, the Independent launched a media section in September to compete directly with Media Guardian on a Monday.FT profile |
Bauer closes men's weekly CutThe Take A Break publisher closed Cut in December after poor sales, reported to be as low as 20,000 a week, just a tenth those of Zoo and Nuts. Adds to a list of failed launches in past two years, including Real (sold to Essential Publishing in the summer), Lounge (March 2004 launch) and Three-Sixty (winter, 2002).Bauer profile Men's weeklies Men's monthlies case study |
BBC to sell Eve and other magazinesThe BBC is to close or sell off magazines not related to its programmes and end the practice of advertising its titles on television. Those derived from programmes, such as Top Gear, will be retained, as will those in 'key BBC programme genres': children, food, gardening, history, home interest, music, science and wildlife. The BBC will sell Eve, What to Wear and from the Origin group, which the BBC bought less than year ago. This goes some way to answering criticism from competitors. As part of BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, the magazines have revenues of about £145m a year, making it the third-largest UK magazine publisher.Origin profile BBC Magazines profile |
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Future in buying spreeDecember saw Future Network buy Beach Magazines and Publishing (Junior, Junior Pregnancy & Baby and Wedding Day), for £3m (half subject to meeting targets) and What Laptop from Crimson Publishing. At its annual meeting, the company said it planned to double in size within four years.Future profile |
Online time 'overtakes magazine reading'9 November 2004. Europeans spend more time online than reading magazines, according to research commissioned by the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA). The study placed web usage at 20% of media time, above both magazines (8%) and newspapers (11%), and not far behind radio (30%). TV took the largest share of people's media time (33%) but a third of those online claimed to watch less TV as a result of using the web. |
Design accolade for MarchbankPearce Marchbank has been appointed one of the 200 Royal Designers for Industry by the RSA (among them David Hillman and Simon Esterson). He made his name with Time Out's iconic covers. Emily King described how the magazine's logo came about in Eye: 'The Time Out logo is created from two sets of slightly out-of-focus Franklin Gothic characters shot as line, the smaller reversed out of the core of the larger. Marchbank ran the resulting typographic halo through a half-tone filter, lending it the appearance of a gentle glow, suggestive of a radiant neon sign.' The logo was intended to be a stopgap, but 32 years later is still seen on city guides and editions of the magazine in the US, as well as London. His design consultancy is Studio Twentywww.rsa.org.uk RSA article on new RDIs Eye magazine profile Magazine cover design secrets |
NME attacked over 'cool' drug-taking icon27 Nov, IPC, London, £1.80, 84pp, ed: Conor McNicholsonThe choice of ex-Libertines singer Pete Doherty as NME's top 'movers and shaker' in music for 2004 prompted drugs charity Addaction to express its fear to the press that this would influence readers, saying: "Young people are vulnerable to hard drugs." The band topped the charts in September with their second album – while Doherty received a suspended four-month jail sentence for possession of a flick knife. Last year, he spent two months in jail for burgling ex-bandmate Carl Barat's home. NME assistant editor Malik Meer said it was Doherty's talent that earned him the title. We Are With You www.nme.com IPC profile |
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Lenticular covers – flavour of the monthTwo magazines hit the shops in the middle of November with lenticular covers. Top Gear (Dec, BBC Worldwide, London, £3.75, 340pp; ed: Michael Harvey) had a 3D effect Ferrari cover, while NME (27 Nov, IPC, London, £1.80, 84pp, ed: Conor McNicholson) went one better with a 3D cover of Pete Doherty, formerly of The Libertines and now Babyshambles, with O2 advert in 3D on the back. Ribbed plastic is used to make the eye see two images, to produce the effect. Can appear crude as image has to be printed separately and stuck on usual cover. Technique long used in promotional work, and Shine did it in 2001. Lenticular printing for NME by Hive Associateswww.nme.com www.topgear.com BBC Magazines profile |
Scarlet and Erotic ReviewNovember, Scarlet Publishing, London. £3.50; 100pp. Ed: Emily Dubberley'For women who get it', the 'it' in question being sex. A mix of features, lingerie fashion, and erotic images and fiction. 'It's designed for intelligent women, who are sexually confident, but know that there's always something new to learn.' Publisher Gavin Griffiths previously worked on Erotic Review, and 'saw a gap in the market for a young and funky sex title for women'. Erotic Review has gone through a turbulent time, having been bought by Felix Dennis and then sold on to Alton Russell International, publisher of Penthouse and Focus, whose pornographic reputation caused editor Rowan Pelling and many of the staff to resign. Dennis profile Women's monthlies profiled |
Reveal23-29 October (in shops Oct 19), Nat Mags, London. 45p (£1); 100pp. Ed: Sarah EdwardsReveal aims to be 'the ultimate glossy women's weekly package offering four great magazines in one: celebrity, real lives, lifestyle and TV listings for just £1.' Editor Sarah Edwards said it 'has all the gloss, pace and glamour of the celebrity weeklies coupled with the emotional punch of the most successful real life titles.' On 12 October, 600,000 free copies were distributed through Tesco, WH Smith Travel and independent retailers. In addition, the £16m earmarked for marketing ran to a TV campaign starting on 17 October Nat Mags profile Women's weeklies case study Magazine covers |
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Spectator editor in Bigley rowThe 16 October 2004 issue of the political weekly ran a leader about the 'mawkish sentimentality' of the people of Liverpool in holding a 2-minute silence for Ken Bigley, the engineer murdered in Iraq. The reaction to the death of Diana was also 'a manifestation of our apparently depleted intelligence' that boded badly for the UK. This might have stayed in the realms of fair comment, but strayed into the appalling and inaccurate. Other comments included: Liverpudlians having 'a prediliction for welfarism' and 'a shared tribal grievance'. It went on that the city had failed to acknowledge the role played by its own drunken fans when '50 Liverpool football supporters' died (it was 96) at Hillsborough stadium in 1989; that 'the police became a convenient scapegoat' for the tragedy; and 'the Sun newspaper a whipping-boy for daring, albeit in a tasteless fashion, to hint at the wider causes of the incident' (the paper said fans robbed victims, urinated on police and attacked a PC who was giving the kiss of life; it apologised but sales halved and have yet to fully recover). Spectator editor Boris Johnson – also a Conservative MP and shadow spokesman on culture – had to go to Liverpool to apologise. A few weeks later he lost his shadow post for misleading the Tory leader about an affairwww.spectator.co.uk |
Test Drive MonthlyNovember, Dennis, London. £1.80 (£3.70); 268pp. Ed: Mike AskewA beefy issue with a gatefold front cover to kick off this What Car? competitor and add to Dennis's stable of weekly Auto Express and flash car monthly Evo. Promises every new car in the UK pictured, reviewed and rated. What Car? and Top Gear responded with cover mounts Dennis profile Car magazines case study |
 With free Napster trial |
Rip & BurnNovember, Haymarket, London. £3.30; 164pp. Ed: Matt SnowThe offer of a free 30-day trial with the new, paid-for version of Napster, and Eminem on the cover are clear signs that this launch is aiming at MP3-carrying youth Haymarket profile |
 Sells 521,200 a week |
Nat Mags in UK deal with Australia's ACPThe National Magazine Company is forming a 50:50 partnership in the UK to produce weekly magazines with Australian Consolidated Press. ACP is the country's biggest publisher and is owned by media tycoon Kerry Packer. It publishes Australia's best-selling weekly women's magazine, Woman's Day, and Australian Women's Weekly (a monthly) among its portfolio of 120 titles. It distributed a UK version of the latter several years ago, but to little effect. NatMags only has one weekly, Best, which it took over from G+J in July 2000. NatMags parent Hearst and ACP already have a joint venture in Australasia to publish Cosmopolitan, Harpers Bazaar and She ACP website (now part of Bauer)Nat Mags profile ACP profile |
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Hair Style – Future diversifiesOctober, Future, Bath. £2.70; 132pp. Ed: Becky SkuseFuture, which is heavily based on computer and gaming titles, diversifies into beauty sector with monthly aimed at 20 to 40-year old women. Print run 0,000. Further, it bought Spanish Homes Magazine for £1.5m. The title was first published in 1991, turned quarterly in 1997 and bi-monthly in 2003. Future said the business was more dependent on advertising than on circulation revenue. In August, Future bought PC Zone (launched in 1993) and Computer & Video Games, with its website, from Dennis. The company closed C&VG – originally launched by Emap and regarded as the UK's oldest games title – but kept the website Future profile |
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Allergy – newsstand launchSeptember, Ink Publishing, £3.25The publisher claims 30% of the population suffers from an allergy, so being sold in supermarkets should make sense. Had been launched in January as a controlled circulation title with a print run of 100,000 copies distributed by mail, doctors' surgeries and allergy clinics. Published in partnership with Allergy UK |
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European BusinessSeptember, Ink Publishing, London. 132pp; £3.25. Ed: John LawlessMagazine 'for movers, shakers and dealmakers' aims to help readers understand the organisations and forces underpinning and driving business. 108,000 circulation across Europe at selected newsagents |
 Trade reports said Cut sold poorly |
Cut men's weekly [later closed]12 August. H Bauer, London. 60pp; 50p (£1)The German publisher behind Take a Break and Bella took a different route to the weekly men's market from IPC and Emap on the day that ABC figures showed the existing titles averaged half-a-million sales a week in their first six months. The print run was said to be 700,000. The new title takes 'the best' from newspapers and magazines (including Emap's Zoo). This strategy had been used by Dennis with The Week and the Guardian for several years with its Editor supplement. The first issue culled from 54 papers and 185 mags for a mix of news, humour, gadgets, quizzes, sport, cars and, of course, women, although the flesh count was refreshingly low. Had been called 'Project Sue' and 'Project Squint' in the press. Emap's Zoo responded with a 'new look', 108 pages and a price cut to 50p. IPC stuck to the high ground with a 16-page 'Babe vault' section (total pagination 92 + 16). Rumours of a poor reception dogged the magazine and Media Week said it was 'set for a do-or-die relaunch' in mid-October after sales fell to 20,000 copies. It was seen as a 'downmarket version of Dennis's The Week' Bauer profile Men's weeklies case study Men's magazines |
Marie Claire and Elle downsizeMarie Claire has reduced the size of its September issue pages (388 pages plus gatefold) to the US version of A4, cut its cover price to £2.50 and released a 'travel-sized' version in the London commuter area. Brad Pitt was on the cover of the IPC title – only the second male to hold the position (the other being David Beckham). Hachette UK's Elle has also gone dual size.IPC profile |
 Jack from April 2003 |
Jack to closeDennis Publishing is to close men's style magazine Jack , barely a year after buying it as part of a takeover of James Brown's I Feel Good company. The latest audited sales figure was near 40,000, but the market had become 'trickier', said the company, and Jack's publishing model was no longer viable. In 2003, it was relaunched in a larger format from the 'handbag' size of the original.Dennis profile Men's monthlies case study |
Max Power redesigns and bursts £4 barrierAugust. Emap Automotive, Peterborough. 292pp. £4.25. Ed: Rog PayneThe top-selling boobs and babes car modification magazine has a new look, some new sections – and 26p added to the cover price (almost £1 more than the likes of FHM). A DVD of 'cars, fit birds and ill behaviour' was added to attract buyers Emap profile |
BBC Magazines may be sold offSpeculation that BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, may be sold increased after chief executive Rupert Gavin announced on 16 July that he was resigning. No decision had been taken on a sale, he told the FT, but he wanted to be able to mount a buy-out if it happened. The magazines division makes profits of about £20m on sales of £130m. The establishment of the division in the late 1980s through buying Redwood Publishing was controversial and the BBC has been criticised for some launches, such as Eve, that were not based on programmes.Greg Ingham, chief executive of Future Network, made a critical submission to the BBC Charter Review in March. He said the BBC's strategy had been 'to buy with taxpayers' money third party commercial assets in areas [that] it has no right to be in'. BBC Magazines profile Future profile |
Mizz Summer SpecialSummer. IPC Connect, London. 132pp. £2.50. Ed: Sharon ChristalSpecials have long been a feature of women's weeklies and comics, but are rarer in other markets. This one has 8 pages of postcard-sized pin-ups, Posh & Becks photo and a competition to win a modelling contract IPC profile |
Silly season for women's magazinesThe silly season usually describes that time in August when all sorts of weird and wonderful stories are dug up to fill the pages of the newspapers. This year, it's come early – but to the covers of women's glossies. They have all gone bananas with cover mounts. There is everything a girl could want to kit her out for summer. Company has a black bikini (it did a boob tube in 2000), B a vest, New Woman a sarong and Cosmo a pair of flop-flops. Then Glamour has sunglasses (black or mock tortoiseshell frames) and Zest a shape-up book. To keep it all in, Elle offers a beach bag, as does In Style. For those who can't get away, console yourself with a summer-in-the-city CD from Eve or classic film music from She. Finally, if there's nothing in this little lot to read, Red has a copy of OK! Women's monthlies profiled |
Garden Life launch issue |
GardenlifeJuly? (not dated; no barcode; given free with London's Evening Standard). Seven Publishing Ltd, London. 144pp. £2.90. Ed: Paula McWaters'Gardening shouldn't be about jobs; it's about enjoying yourself,' so proclaims the editor, who doesn't want readers to feel guilty about the things they haven't done. Gardening as lifestyle – an approach not tried since IPC failed with the classy New Eden in 1999. Two big sections anchor this mag: 16 pages from TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh on getting the best from your garden and a 12-page cut-out 'hands-on' section for early summer. Latter section, by Gay Search, is on heavier matt paper and cut to a smaller size than the rest of the magazine. Heavy promotion for next issues:
Also, 6-page reader survey. Second launch for the company after Delicious. |
Wallpaper goes onlineWallpaper* has launched a website as an extension of the lifestyle magazine. It will be updated weekly with features on interiors, design, travel, architecture and fashion. www.wallpaper.com |
Sleaze and Jockey Slut closeSwinstead Publishing has closed its style magazine Sleaze, formerly Sleazenation, after eight years. The magazine had been relaunched in March – when Emap's The Face closed. Jockey Slut has also closed. |
 What to Wear magazine first issue cover |
What to WearSummer. BBC Worldwide. 156pp. £1.80. Ed: Lucy Dunn'Handbag' format. Aims to mix catwalk trends with no-nonsense style guidance. Published quarterly to coincide with each season's fashion collections. Gives fashion-conscious 18 to 30 year-old women practical rules of style based around shopping for their shape. Created by the Eve team, and built around BBC2's What Not to Wear, with presenters Trinny Woodhall and Susannah Constantine as contributing editors Women's monthlies profiled |
SauceSummer (quarterly). Sauce Guides Ltd. 100pp. £2.97. Ed: Simon Difford'For the dedicated barfly and cocktail fan.' A5-ish format. Reviews bars (Red, Opal, Salt, Taman Gang and Kingly Club in London), drinks and cities. |
Celebrity LivingJune. IPC Southbank, London. 148pp. £1.80. Ed: Tammy ButtShows readers the homes of the rich and famous and then asks experts to explain how to recreate the look. Second launch in this sector, after Celebrity Homes IPC profile |
BlinkJune. Parallel Sky, Reading. 112pp. £3.20. Ed (Publisher & Editorial Director): Adrian GrantI always worry about magazines where so much is invested in one person: it suggests a fear of losing control and inability to delegate. Difficult things to do. The P&ED admits to his worries: not wanting his entertainment magazine to be seen as a 'lads' mag. Editorial track record comes in the form of Rebecca Martin (ex GQ Active and Jump ); with photographer Harrison Funk running the visuals. Large format (315 by 255mm) and unusual cover make it look different (though is covering part of your masthead on a first issue a good idea?); big black and yellow slash across cover ensure you know it's new. Broad content: film; music; style; gadgets; icons; travel; health; sex. It focuses on film (cover plus 7 of 9 content page pics) and music (cover CD of Livin Out Loud sampler); difficult to see how it could do justice to everything. Three competitions flagged on cover (why is the big prize always a Rover?). Second issue date of June 29 (launched first week of May) suggests bi-monthly. Nice paper; smells good. |
Total GolfOn the shelves first week in May (no cover date). IPC Media (Country & leisure division), London. 140pp. £1.99 special price in a plastic bag with green bag towel (£2.99). Ed: Michael HarrisIt looks rather unprofessional not having a date on the cover, almost as if IPC couldn't make up its mind when to launch. In fact, the title will be published every six weeks from May to October. The company has committed itself to doing four issues, to see how things go – the same tactic BBC Worldwide is using with its Easy series. It looks more practical than the other recent golf launch, Golf Punk, and the editorial appears takes a swipe at it: '...we won't be boring you with stories of the time we blagged a trip to the Caribbean, glad-handed a B-list celebrity or spent the day trying to have a hole in one..'. However, both aiming to attract a 25-35 male reader. IPC profile |
19 – closesMay. IPC Southbank. 132pp. £2.40. Ed: Helen BazuayeEven an invitation for the editor to 10 Downing St and a 'hot new look' could not save this young women's glossy. IPC blamed the closure on the changing market: 'The boundaries between the teen market sub-sectors have become blurred and sales patterns suggest that readership at the older, young women's end appears to have migrated to the fashion and celebrity markets.' The closure also means the loss of a rare black editor in the magazine world. Follows closing of Emap's J-17. IPC profile Women's monthlies profiled |
Celebrity HomesMay. Merricks Media, Bath. 148pp. £2 (special price). Ed: Lynnette PeckThe fascination with all things celebrity continues. This is likely to become a busy niche however, with IPC about to launch its own Celebrity Living. 'David & Carrie Grant's Private Fame Academy' was cover lead. |
Sorted – closesMay. Sorted Communications, Brighton. £2.50. Ed: Piers TownleyAfter just four issues, the monthly for boys aged 12-16 has closed. The fifth issue, featuring a cover interiew with David Beckham, was at the printers. In a report in the Press Gazette, editor Piers Townley (who had been deputy for the launch issue) blamed the profligacy of the founder and chairman Russell Church, saying a 200,000 print run for the launch had been 'commercial suicide'. www.sortedmag.com |
Striker asks for readers' cash to stave off closureComputer-generated cartoon weekly hopes to raise £450,000 by selling shares to readers. Otherwise, issue 40 in June will be the last. The comic, which spun of from the Sun cartoon in August 2003, also sells its strip to Zoo. The title closed in 2005 (BBC report) |
Celebrity magazines in price warIPC's Now has cut its cover price by 20p to £1 in a bid to maintain its position as the top-selling celebrity weekly, now just 30,000 copies a week ahead of Emap’s Heat. As well as Now, Closer, New! and Star all using price as a prime selling tool. The magazine has also launched a younger version – Teen NowMore details and sales figures |
NatMags and Rodale in Men's Health deal11 May The National Magazine Company and Rodale International set up a partnership in the UK, ‘NatMag Rodale Ltd’. The joint venture will publish Men’s Health and Runner’s World under long-term licence from Rodale InternationalMen's Health websiteNat Mags profile Men's monthlies case study |
Home CinemaMay. Haymarket, Teddington. £3.95; 148pp. Ed: Andy Clough'The AV magazine you've always wanted'. 'From the makers of What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision' Bagged with IHome, 'intelligent, interactive, interiors'; 36pp. (£1.95). Ed: Andy Clough A tricky market this. Future launched Digital Home in 2003 and Carlton Stanhope Media came out with Future Home. However, the former took over the latter before the year was out. Haymarket profile |
ChronoMay. Octane Media, London. 44pp. Free with Octane. Ed: Robert CoucherLooks like more of an attempt to pull in expensive watch advertising than a real attempt to launch a magazine. Steve McQueen on the cover |
Easy DecoratingSpring. BBC Worldwide, London. 100pp. £1.99. Ed: Julie SavillEssential skills, techniques and tips from this BBC quarterly. BBC now has three titles in this series: the others being food and gardening. |
Great Container IdeasSpring. IPC Country & leisure, London. 100pp. £3.30. Ed: Tim RumballThe gardening sector is becoming increasingly segmented. This is IPC's latest attempt, launched on the back of Amateur Gardening. Charlie Dimmock on the cover, along with an anemone bulb mix free gift. IPC profile |
Teen NowSpring. IPC Connect, London. £1.50; 92pp. Ed: Jeremy MarkSpin-off for younger readers from Now. Follows trend of teen glossies: Cosmo Girl (2001) and Elle Girl (2001); and teen celeb mags Emap's Sneak (2002) and the BBC's failed Star (2000-01). Cover photo of Britney Spears linked to article on celebs who are single. Eight pages of posters, including centre-spread poster of Orlando Bloom. Lots of pages of house ads: for relaunched 19, Mizz and Now. Plus page reader survey and subscriptions advert. IPC profile |
Golf PunkApril/May. KYN, Brighton. £3.50; 132pp. Ed: Tim SouthwellThe former Loaded deputy finally gets the backing to launch a magazine, in this case for the sort of golfers whose attitude does not fit in with the more snooty clubhouses. 'Now [carrying a set of golf clubs] is more akin to having a surfboard under your arm,' says the editorial. Lead feature is a failed attempt to follow up on a Loaded article where Southwell played Tiger Woods. Follows in footsteps of 2002's Putt (2002) and Bogey. KYN profile |
PC ActionApril. Live Publishing International, Macclesfield, Cheshire. 116pp. £4.99 (with games demo DVD). Ed: Nick WalklandIt's the DVD on the cover that the readers are forking out a fiver for here. The printed content looks pretty much standard and it's difficult to see the title standing out against established competition from the likes of Future. www.pcaction.co.uk |
ClashMar/Apr. Vibe Media, Dundee. £2.50; 100pp. Ed: Simon HarperAbout music, fashion and the things that clash in life. Unusual format: 250mm square. Franz Ferdinand cover. Unusual feature: eight-page article on history of Vibe magazine, out of which Clash grew. www.clashmagazine.com |
Stag & GroomMar/Apr 2004. Hanage, London. £4; 132pp. Ed: Dominic BlissJoins a shelf-full of weddings titles for women, including offerings from the likes of Cosmopolitan. For speech advice, honeymoons, great wedding suits and the stag weekend. Editorial strategy summed up by: 'Reclaim the wedding: Watch out, ladies. The boys are back in business.' Tip: 'If you're a best man, give yourself stuff to do to keep busy. Select 10 women, plan a compliment for each one and allocate them all time slots in your afternoon. Include at least two grandmothers.' |
Grand DesignsMarch. Media 10 Ltd with Channel 4 and Talkback. £3; 164pp. Ed: David RedheadSpin-off magazine from the TV series 'bursting with the breadth and depth that an hour-long TV show cannot strectch to'. Included dual subscription offer with Icon or Party magazines. www.granddesignsmagazine.com |
AspireApril/May. Pearson Communications, London. £2.95. Ed: Celine Loader"Lifestyle for today's woman of colour". Another title in the growing market for ethnic magazines. US film actress Halle Berry on the cover Women's monthlies profiled |
 The Face had a lacklustre time at Emap. Kelis & Andre 3000 were on the cover of the final 172-page issue (number 88 of volume 3) |
The Face and J-17 – to closeMarch 22. Emap announces the closure of The Face, once the embodiment of cutting-edge youth culture. Emap bought the title in 1999, along with Arena, from Nick Logan's Wagadon. Logan had launched The Face in 1980 using his own money after Emap turned the idea down. Iconic design by Neville Brody. Strong music base; developed into fashion bible for the 1980s.Just Seventeen was launched in 1983 and started up a market for general interest teen magazines. May will be the last edition of J17 (on sale 12 April). The Face was suspended with immediate effect, with the May issue on sale 8 April. The closures were blamed on a changing marketplace and falling sales. Internet Magazine and Here's Health also closed Background to The Face launch Emap profile |
Inside EdgeApril. Dennis, London. 124pp. £3.99. Ed: James HipwellGambling magazine launcjed just before the Cheltenham horse-racing festival. Contributors include Nick Leeson, whose 'investment' strategies brought down Barings bank, with a poker column Dennis profile |
Sleaze – relaunch of SleazenationMarch (cover not dated). Swinstead, London.172pp. £3.20. Ed: Neil BoormanSees itself as "a vaguely anti-corporate style magazine", despite its level of advertising. Cover price has not changed since 2001.Uses glossy paper for 64-page photography-heavy section. Removable sticker of contents on cover |
QuintessentiallyMarch. Produced on behalf of Quintessentially (UK) Ltd by Luxury, London. 116pp. £4. Ed: Lucia van der PostAimed squarely at the market pioneered in the UK by the FT's monthly How to Spend It magazine supplement, which van der Post used to edit. Large format with A5-sized magazine held in by an elasticated string. Off-the-wall photography and design. |
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Navigator*Spring/Summer (next issue August). IPC Media, London. 156pp. £5.99. Ed: Richard CookBrand extension as travel magazine from Wallpaper Group. First development since founder Tyler Brule left. Almost a cross between a Nota Bene-style directory and magazine, covering 10 cities, each with a separate, colour-coded section. Price and 'new' logo stuck on cover as labels. Small A4 format www.wallpaper.com IPC profile |
Klub Knowledge – expandsMarch. Music HQ Media, Watford. £3.50. 196pp (+ gatefold). Ed: Bill H.After five years as an A5, London-only clubbing magazine, Klub Knowledge expands size and distribution. Use of colour bands in margin to differentiate sections |
LoungeMarch. H Bauer, London. £1.60. 68pp. Ed: Kevin WhitlockQuiet launch for puzzle monthly in women's weekly format from publisher of Take a Break and That's Life. H Bauer profile |
Media Week – redesign27 January – 3 February. Quantum Business Media, Croydon. £2.40. 72pp. Ed: Tim BurrowesWeekly trade magazine switches from tabloid newspaper format to outsized A4 magazine. Adopted 'First in the know' on the masthead. |
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SortedFebruary, Sorted Communications, Brighton. £2.50; 100pp, plus A1 poster (Whiplash computer games and School of Rock film). Ed: Martin KlippMonthly for teenage boys www.sortedmag.com |
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Zoo Weekly22 Jan. Emap, London. Free at WH Smith (£1). 100pp. Ed: Paul MerrillIPC's Nuts beat Emap to the news-stands by a week. Emap responds with same launch strategy, but doesn't declare its hand on price (later priced at £1). The difference between the two mainly being Zoo 's use of female flesh – far more of it, including bare nipples. Emap's 'Project Tyson' pinched Chat editor Paul Merrill from IPC in December. Both publishers claimed investments of £8m, in Emap's case to attract initial sales of 150,000. Emap said Zoo would target 16-30-year-olds. Emap has a stranglehold on the monthly men's market with FHM selling more than twice as many copies as IPC's Loaded. Further, it had developed expertise in consumer weeklies, a traditional IPC strength, with Heat and Closer. Contents breakdown Emap profile Men's monthlies case study Men's weeklies |
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Nuts16 Jan. IPC Ignite, London. Free at WH Smith (usual price £1.20 (second issue 60p). 100ppEd: Phil Hilton 'World's first men's weekly,' claims the cover with '100 action-packed pages!' Phil Hilton, former Later editor, rejoined IPC from Emap in March 2003. IPC's first big launch since it was taken over by US group Time Warner in 2001. Contents breakdown www.nutsmag.co.uk (dead) IPC profile Men's monthlies case study Men's weeklies |
Bang – closesJanuary, issue 10. Future, London. £3.30. 132ppEd: Dan Silver Despite changing editor, Future's effort to break into mainstream music market failed after less than a year. Press Gazette reported attempts to merge with X-Ray Future profile |
 The FHM issue of Feb 2004 held a surprise ...  ... it dropped down to reveal High Street Honey 2003 Kayleigh Pearson |
FHM – drop-down coverFebruary (issue on shelves before end December!) Emap Consumer Media, London. £3.30; 198pp (+gatefold). Ed: David DaviesI've seen many variation on covers – gatefolds, double and triple gatefolds, holograms, cut-outs, embossed – but never a drop-down. This cover folds downwards to three A4 pages deep to reveal FHM's High Street Honey winner, Kayleigh Pearson. Otherwise, it's likely to be more of the same from the men's best-seller, judging by a reader survey. (Best covers: Girls Aloud, May; Halle Berry, January; Lisa, best of British, September; Jennifer Lopez, April). The problem with such in-magazine surveys is that they are self-selecting and so tend to reinforce existing publishing strategies – meaning potential readers do not get a look in FHM profile |