• by Michael Shields , September 9, 2004

The announced shutdown of Lifetime magazine a few days ago does not appear to have been met with a great deal of surprise or remorse in the ad buying community. Several media planners who spoke off the record indicated that the magazine had never really established a distinctive editorial voice.

"There are too many women's magazines as it is--they really weren't doing anything different," one planner said.

The problem with Lifetime, which was backed by Hearst and Disney, may have been that its print incarnation did not really reflect the personality of the popular network. Lifetime magazine mostly profiled celebrities and provided women's service stories--stories on great desserts and dieting--pieces that are not hard to find in the magazine universe.

However, the Lifetime network's primary draw isn't service. Rather, its fans come for drama (shows like "Missing") and melodrama (movies starring either Melissa Gilbert or Meredith Baxter--usually titled "My Husband is Secretly Evil, and He Took Our Baby").

That's a difficult formula to translate to print. Cable networks can pull this sort of spin-off--see ESPN the Magazine. However, in that case, the magazine is at least about sports, just like the network.

Perhaps better suited to a magazine launch--more service-oriented networks such as The Food Network or HGTV.

Hot Invitation

Cottage Living has been confirmed as the magazine that sent out matches in its party invitations several weeks ago (Mag Rack July 30). According to a follow-up invite, which included a candle, "Cottage Living is now Lighting Up the Publishing Industry."

"We looked through the pages of the September-October [debut] issue," said the magazine's Marketing Graphic Designer Julie Haggard of the spark for the idea. "We wanted something to tie the invitation back to the magazine."

They selected a "votive candle" in Tuscan olive from the last page of the book: "Ten Instant Ways to Cozy Up your Nest."

That led to the idea of attaching a match to the teaser invitation. Haggard was one of two people at Cottage Living who spent several days attaching roughly 800 matches to invitations by rubber band.

As for whether it was entirely legal to send matches through the U.S. mail, "We didn't think about that," Haggard said. "That was sort of an afterthought. I guess it depends on which post office you go to and whether they see you."

Besides, the matches were of the "strike on the box" variety, so they were presumably safe. Regardless, the overall response to the clever idea has been positive "I have heard lots of compliments," said Haggard.

Party attendees will receive a gift bag that includes several more items featured in the debut issue.

TV Geeks Rejoice

The Hollywood Reporter has published a special standalone magazine dedicated to the most successful TV series over the past half century-plus. The "TV Milestones Collector's Edition," which launched Thursday, focuses on the almost 300 scripted prime-time dramas and comedies from 1947 to 2004 that have hit the 100-episode milestone (the magic number for syndication profits).

In addition to examining these shows' impact on pop culture, the special issue also looks at the audiences these shows delivered, and profiles some of the major advertisers the shows have attracted.

"It's an idea that has been percolating for the last few years," said Christy Grosz, the special issue's editor. "Our editor in chief wanted to take a glimpse of the TV business from the beginning, particularly as TV is changing so much."

To celebrate the new edition, The Hollywood Reporter will sponsor an invitation-only reception at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills, presented by TV Land.

Besides newsstands, the Collector's Edition will be available for purchase at thrlibrary@hollywoodreporter.com for $5.99 per copy.

By the way, "Gunsmoke," which premiered Sept. 10, 1955, is the longest-running scripted TV program, with 635 episodes.

Spa Finder's New Look

The redesigned and editorially enhanced Spa Finder Magazine's September/October issue, available on newsstands nationwide, is re-titled as Luxury Spa Finder Magazine.

According to Spa Finder, the magazine has expanded its editorial scope--beyond spa-going and spa property information to cover a range of topics including luxury travel, home spa design and hardware, spa cuisine, wellness, beauty, and spa-inspired fashion.

Gary Walther, the former editor in chief of Departures, has led the magazine's editorial makeover.

Red Hat Mag

The Red Hat Society, an organization of women over 50 who are dedicated to embracing middle age with fun and humor, is extending the concept behind its bestselling novel, "Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship after Fifty," to the magazine world.

Sue Ellen Cooper, founder of the 800,000-member society, is launching Red Hat Society Lifestyle in partnership with Alabama publisher Hoffman Media early next year.

Cooper and the Society plan a four-color magazine with 84+ pages per issue to be distributed bi-monthly beginning Jan. 4, 2005.