• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, December 8, 2006

Private equity firms are hot for media, especially magazines, and the action continued unabated this week. Primedia Inc. announced yesterday it is selling 17 hunting, fishing, and outdoor titles, as well as various related media outlets, including big-name Guns & Ammo, to InterMedia Partners LP for $170 million. The deal also covers Web sites, TV and radio programs and events.

The announcement follows Primedia's sale of a number of other titles over the last couple of years, among them New York, American Baby and Modern Bride. In addition, there have been recent sales by other consumer and business-magazine publishers.

In late November, Prism Business Media was purchased by MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Co. The Prism deal also includes Penton Media, which Prism is in the process of acquiring. Prism's holdings include 71 magazines, 170 e-newsletters, 17 industry trade shows and over 500 "rich data" products. Penton produces market-focused magazines, trade shows, conferences and online media. Wasserstein & Co. also has additional private-equity backing from Highfields Capital Management and Lexington Partners.

Also in November, private-equity firm Ripplewood Holdings purchased the Reader's Digest Association for $1.8 billion. Like other public media companies that have gone private in 2006, the Reader's Digest Association hopes the move will free the company from Wall Street pressures. Ripplewood has experience managing other publications, including the Time Life brand, previously owned by Time Inc., and the World Almanac.

Time Inc. Mag Sales Not On Time

Although private equity firms might be snapping up consumer and business magazines, they'll have to wait a little longer if they're interested in the fleet of special-interest titles Time Inc. put up for sale two months ago. Second-round bids were scheduled to be received by the end of November, but delays in getting information about the titles to potential investors means it won't happen before Jan. 2nd at the earliest, according to a report in Ad Age.

The Time Inc. sale includes some of the nation's most venerable special-interest titles, such as Popular Science, Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, as well as its Parenting Group. At the same time, Time Inc. is also getting rid of several magazines targeting niche audiences, like its Marine Group, with a stable of titles including Yachting, MotorBoating, and SaltWater Sportsman, and TransWorld Media, publisher of TW Skateboarding, TW Snowboarding, TW Surf, TW Motocross, Ride BMX and Quad. The alpine division, represented by Mountain Sports Media, is also out--taking with it Ski, Skiing, and Warren Miller Entertainment.

According to the latest FAS-FAX from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Popular Science experienced a 10.2% drop in subscriptions in the first six months of 2006, compared to the same period of 2005, with overall circulation sinking 8%. Field & Stream fared somewhat better, with overall circulation holding steady, but newsstand sales saw a 7.9% drop in the same report. Outdoor Life turned in a similar performance, with subscriptions basically even and newsstand sales down 10.6%. And Parenting did worst of all, with a 6.1% drop in subscriptions and a 25.8% drop in newsstand sales.

Data on ad pages and revenue don't offer much comfort either. According to figures from the Publishers Information Bureau, comparing the first 11 months of 2006 and the same period last year, Popular Science's ad pages fell 3%, while revenue was down 7%. In the same period, Field & Stream's ad pages were down 12.5%, while revenue was down 6%. Outdoor Life's pages fell 16.4%, with a 6.2% drop in revenue. Mirroring its ABC figures, Parenting posted an alarming 18.8% drop in ad pages and a 13.9% drop in revenue.

The Week Ranked No. 1 in Credibility

The Week is the most credible media per U.S. "opinion leaders," according to a national study by Erdos & Morgan. On the first occasion the magazine was even included in the survey, readers chose The Week from 138 print and broadcast media, including venerable news sources like The Economist and "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer." The Erdos & Morgan study polled about 483,000 professionals in roles shaping policy and opinion in business and government.

AARP The Magazine Readership Up 7%

According to the fall report from Mediamark Research Inc., AARP The Magazine now reaches almost 30 million adults--a 7% increase over the same period last year. The magazine has made a spate of new personnel appointments in recent months, including the promotion of Jim Fishman to vice president and publisher of AARP Services, Inc., and Jacqueline Graziano to the post of sales development director for magazines.

Bridal Magazines Show Racial Bias

A new study by the journalism school at the University of Missouri at Columbia has detailed a significant racial bias in photo spreads in bridal magazines, which dramatically under-represent African-American models as brides. Cynthia Frisby, associate professor of advertising at MU's School of Journalism, remarked: "The dominant image of today's bride is that she is white, blond, blue-eyed and thin."

Frisby and Erika Engstrom, professor at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, conducted the study by doing a survey of 57 randomly selected issues of Bride's Magazine, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride from 2000-2004. It found that less than 2% of ads had African-American brides, while not one had an African-American bride on the cover. More African-American women appeared in the role of bridesmaid, however.

Liquid Lifestyle Mag Targets African-American Men

Liquid, a lifestyle magazine for African-American men, launched nationally this week at selected Borders, Barnes & Noble and B. Dalton retailers. Covering business, travel, style and home entertainment, the magazine is aimed at readers raised in hip-hop culture who are ready for a broader perspective, according to Laurence Christian, the magazine's publishing director and editor in chief. In the premiere issue, readers will find a profile of Alonzo Mourning, a photo spread of Layla El, a former Miami Heat dancer, and a feature on off-shore investing in the Dominican Republic.

Michael Wolfe Moves to Best Life

Michael Wolfe, formerly the associate publisher of GQ magazine, has been named the publisher of Best Life, a men's lifestyle magazine that has grown by leaps and bounds since its launch in 2004. Best Life, owned by Rodale Magazines, has seen ad pages rise 72.3% and rate-card revenues 131.3% in the first 11 months of 2006, compared to the same period last year.

Charles Kammerer Publisher of Golf

Charles Kammerer has been named publisher of Golf magazine, moving to the title from his previous role as associate publisher of Life since its re-launch two years ago. He helped drive 19% growth in Life's ad revenue in 2006, compared to 2005. Kammerer has held a variety of senior roles at Time Inc., including East Coast and New York sales director.

John French named CEO of Prism/Penton

Just a few weeks after the businesses were acquired by private-equity firms led by Wasserstein & Co. and MidOcean partners, Prism Media/Penton Media announced that John French will become CEO of the combined venture, maintaining continuity with this previous role as CEO of Prism Business Media. David Nussbaum, the CEO of Penton, will leave the company after the acquisition.