• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 23, 2007

Wondertime, the children's magazine from Disney that launched in January 2006, has seen ad pages almost double in the first four months of 2007 compared to the same period last year. On the heels of this increase, the magazine is raising its rate base from 400,000 to 500,000 in 2008. Overall, the mag's strong performance provides a much-needed boost to the family and parenting category, where major titles from several publishers have taken big hits in the last two years.

Among the new advertisers that signed on in the last year are Baby Gap, Kenneth Cole, GMC Acadia, Berlex, Dr. Brown's, Astra Zeneca, Nestle and Kraft Jell-O. Previously, Wondertime had already snagged Honda, Target, Playskool, Playtex, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Visa and Sony. However, David Mevorah, Wondertime's publisher, isn't resting on his laurels: "We are embarking on a national anniversary tour to share Wondertime's success and plans for the future in the top markets over eight weeks."

Although it features a variety of content, the magazine generally tries to steer clear of straight, procedural how-to stories of parent-child activities, food preparation and the like. Instead, it targets college-educated women who are new mothers with thoughtful, literary content emphasizing the joys and personal growth associated with parenting.

Wondertime's success comes in the midst of generally gloomy results from the parenting mag category. 2006 was a rough year for most titles, with American Baby's ad pages falling 8.3% compared to 2005, Baby Talk down 11.3%, Child down 15.2%, Parenting down 20.1%, Parents stagnant with a 1.6% drop and Scholastic Parent & Child down 12.1%. Finally, in the wake of a 19.8% drop in ad pages, Nick Jr. Family Magazine is closing.

PC Wins Folio Awards

PC Magazine picked up two awards for new digital distribution channels this week, with its PCMagCasts on the Web receiving the first and third-place Folio: FAME awards for Best Online Event. Taking the gold award was its Virtual Tradeshow on Security and Mobility, which took place in August 2006. Taking bronze was Selecting and Setting Up and HDTV Set, from November 2006.

Robert Reif to Prez MNI, Targeted Media

Time Inc. announced this week that Robert Reif has been appointed president of Media Networks, Inc. and Targeted Media. Both Time companies specialize in targeted advertising and custom marketing solutions. Reif, who joined MNI in 2001 as director of co-op sales, will lead MNI's efforts to target audiences demographically and geographically. He will also oversee Target Media's mags with custom marketing messages for specific audiences.

Wasserstein May Sell Legal Publishing Biz

He spent 10 years building his legal publishing biz, but Bruce Wasserstein, chairman of Lazard Ltd., which also bought New York, may be ready to sell his stake in American Lawyer magazine, as well as National Law Journal, the New York Law Journal and a chain of local legal newspapers. Wasserstein & Co. hired Credit Suisse Group to advise it on options.

McCutcheon To Nielsen Business Media SVP

Linda McCutcheon has been named senior vice president of Nielsen Business Media, a division of the Nielsen Company, with responsibility for eMedia Strategy and Technology, the company announced this week. In this position, McCutcheon will be responsible for Nielsen Business Media's digital products and services--over 175 in number. She replaces Toni Nevitt, who is leaving the company at the end of March.

Fortune Names Leigh Gallagher Senior Editor

Leigh Gallagher is moving from Smart Money to Fortune, where she will serve as a senior editor. As a senior editor at Smart Money, Gallagher led coverage of consumer-related topics like travel, real estate, healthcare and personal finance. She was also a regular contributor to Fox News shows, including "Your World with Neil Cavuto," and has appeared on CBS' "The Early Show."