• by adam.m , Michael Deibert , August 2, 2005

When the Publishing Group of America begins distributing its new monthly food magazine Relish via daily newspapers in February, it will join such newspaper-staple magazines as Parade and USA Weekend in a sub-genre of periodical publishing that is being increasingly explored as an attractive alternative to newsstand distribution.

The magazine, which will focus on food-related concerns such as cooking, diet, and entertainment, is expected to clock in with a circulation of some 6 million, gaining the status of a top-10 food title and surpassing the distribution of Conde Nast's Bon Appetit, which has a newsstand circulation of 1.2 million. Newspapers will pay the Publishing Group of America on a per-issue basis to carry Relish. The move follows in the footsteps of the Publishing Group of America's other newspaper-only offering, American Profile, which was launched three years ago and focuses on small-town American life. Distributed chiefly in low-population-density markets, American Profile recently added Hometown Promotions, a marketing and promotion scheme whereby the magazine is joined with direct marketing and syndicated content with the design of increasing retail activity in rural areas.

The Publishing Group is not alone in its journey toward further convergence with the newspaper world, a trend that has analysts divided on how to best measure a magazine's true circulation.

After lying dormant since 2000, Time Inc. resumed publication of Life magazine last year, including the magazine as a supplement in the Friday editions of more than 50 newspapers owned by the Knight Ridder chain, such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Miami Herald. The magazine is now believed to reach some 12 million readers of those newspapers.