• by January 23, 2006

Last year saw the announced launch of 257 new magazines covering a wide range of categories, according to new research to be released today by the Magazine Publishers of America.

New magazines for women led the list with 31, followed by 27 lifestyle titles, 22 magazines covering sports, 13 targeting African-Americans, and another 13 aimed at the Hispanic-Latino audience, the magazine trade association said. The list does not include titles with less than a quarterly frequency.

The average number of launches each quarter throughout the year totaled 64, broken down as follows: 59 new titles announced in the first quarter, 49 in the second quarter, 66 in the third, and 83 in the fourth.

Of the announced launches, 48 new magazines were introduced by 34 MPA members. In the fourth quarter, launch announcements from MPA publishers included: Interweave Press (KnitScene); The Lady Enterprises Inc. and Hoffman Media, LLC (Cooking with Paula Deen); Meredith Publishing (Real+Life Decorating); Miller Publishing Group (Smash); Modern Luxury Magazines (DC); and The Reader's Digest Association (At Home with Rachel Ray).

In a development that could be viewed as counter-intuitive considering the rise in popularity of online publications, more than 10 print titles launched in 2005 originated as Web site or online-only editions, the MPA said.

Spin-offs were also popular, with the MPA reporting that five of the 13 new magazines launched last year targeting the Hispanic-Latino market stemmed from existing titles. Of the total 13 titles created for the market, the topics covered ranged from music and culture to sports.

Hispanic publications are hot. Last week the new edition of the Standard Periodical Directory reported that over the past ten years, the number of Hispanic titles grew more than any other category--increasing from 124 titles in 1996 to 329 in 2006, for a gain of 165 percent. Part of the growth was attributed to the introduction of regional publications such as Tu Ciudad Los Angeles and Ser magazine in Laredo, TX, as well as an increase in national publications such as Siempre Mujer.

Information about magazine launch announcements is posted on the "New and Noted" section of the MPA Web site at www.magazine.org. The list is updated monthly, and features information about the publisher, launch dates, frequency, and detailed editorial descriptions.