• Ad Age, Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11 AM

Behaving almost as if it were Time Inc., but on a budget that Time would dismiss as pitifully small, Bauer Publishing is said to be preparing two more weekly magazines for U.S. newsstands.  On the heels of In Touch Weekly and Life & Style Weekly, both of which have been surprisingly successful, Bauer now is looking to launch two very different titles. The first will be a photo-heavy roundup of weird, strange images from around the world.  Thought to be similar to Shock, which circulates in Great Britain, the magazine, about which not much is known at this point, will be targeted to young men.  The second book in the Bauer development tank is aimed at women.  Described by sources as a cross between Us Weekly and Cosmopolitan, the new book’s cover price may be in the $2 range. Bauer, famous for operating on minimalist budgets, generally underprices its competitors at the newsstand. Naturally, there is some skepticism about the upcoming launches.  Eric Blankfein, senior vice president-director of communication-channel planning at Horizon Media, says opportunities are slim for any kind of new magazines. “Given the failure of Justice, which tried to capture recent celebrity stumblings, I’m not sure that there is going to be a breakthrough launch that will have the impact than an In Style or a redone Us had years back, or even In Touch more recently.  If there is to be success with these, it will likely be on a much smaller stage.”

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