• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 11, 2006

The powers that be at Grand Central Station have decided to shield New York's naïve commuters from the cover of FHM--this time covering up the physical attributes of World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) Torrie Wilson, who appears on the September issue wearing a black bikini bottom and some coiled lengths of rope. The September issue, which went on sale in early August, is partially obscured by white sheets of paper in both the window display and the sales racks of the Hudson News retail outlet located on the east side of Grand Central's main concourse.

This is the third month in a row that Grand Central Station's management has deemed FHM's cover too hot for full display. The July issue, featuring porn actress Tera Patrick, and the August issue, featuring swimmer Amanda Beard, were both partially obscured with white sheets of paper as well. A previous "Mag Bag" in MediaDailyNews mistakenly reported that the August issue had been wrapped in brown paper.

It's unclear what effect, if any, such local actions have on the decisions of national advertisers--but lad mags in general have recently been struggling with declining ad pages and revenue. Like celebrity titles targeting teen girls, lad mags' early success may have led to over-saturation of the market. Although neither were lad mags, the closing of shopping mag Cargo by Conde Nast and automotive interest title MPH by American Media Inc. (AMI) this spring seem to point to a certain, ahem, softness in the young male market.

General Mills Launches Que Rica Vida

General Mills is targeting America's burgeoning Hispanic population with a free new custom magazine, Que Rica Vida, covering culinary matters and related lifestyle issues--with, of course, some space set aside for recipes from Betty Crocker. Previously the WASP-y doyenne of middle American cuisine, in her latest incarnation Crocker will have a Latin flavor, drawing on the expertise of the recent General Mills cookbook Cocina Betty Crocker ("Betty Crocker's Kitchen").

Que Rica Vida, which translates as "What a Rich Life!" or "What a Delicious Life!" will be published in cooperation with Editorial Televisa, the world's largest Spanish-language magazine publishing house, based in Miami. According to General Mills' multicultural marketing director, Rudy Rodriguez, "as demographics continue to shift, it's important that our marketing efforts appeal to the growing consumer segments."

The custom publication constitutes a full-scale assault on the Hispanic market by General Mills, which says it will deliver about 2 million copies to consumers, either by mail or through retail giveaways in areas with large Hispanic populations. The version to be mailed is all in Spanish, but the retail version will be bilingual. And although recipes and content will be geared to Latino consumers, featured brands from General Mills will include mainstream brands like Pillsbury, Yoplait, and Progresso.

Good Housekeeping Bows Syndicated TV Special

Good Housekeeping, the preeminent title in American homemaking, is expanding into TV content this September with a one-hour special called "Makeover Miracles," based largely on the magazine's editorial section of the same name. "Makeover Miracles" will be the first of four one-hour specials produced with partner Litton Entertainment,according to Good Housekeeping. Litton is currently responsible for the title's "Good Housekeeping Reports" news segments, which air on network morning shows. "Makeover Miracles" will be broadcast during weekend daytime hours, and will be syndicated in more than 80 percent of U.S. markets.

American Artist Relaunches Web Site

VNU Business Media is relaunching the Web site for American Artist, including easier access to art competitions, skill tutorials, listings of local workshops, and product reviews. The redesigned Web site will draw on content and editorial expertise from the four individual publications in the American Artist brand: American Artist, Watercolor, Drawing, and Workshop. On the new Web site, subscribers will be able to search an archive of articles dating back to 1999, and all visitors will be able to access multimedia presentations on artistic techniques.

Meredith Names Dave Randell Head of New Experiential Group

Meredith Corporation announced the formation of a new "Experiential Group" business unit on Thursday, to be headed by Dave Randell, who will assume the role of executive director. The new division will lead planning and execution for events for Meredith's various brands, and will report to Jack Bamberger, senior vice-president of corporate sales.