• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, September 9, 2008

The consumer magazine business is in a rough patch--but that isn't stopping three publishers from launching new titles with ambitious goals for circulation and advertising. These lifestyle magazines, focusing on food and health, are all counting on innovative approaches to break into fiercely competitive categories.

Hearst Magazines and the Food Network unveiled a new title, the Food Network Magazine, announcing plans for a test run of 300,000 debuting Oct. 14. Another test issue will follow in January. Maile Carpenter, who previously served as executive editor of Every Day with Rachael Ray, was enlisted as editor in chief.

There is no question that the Food Network Magazine is entering a tough category. True, there are some bright spots: Every Day with Rachael Ray has enjoyed a big increase in ad pages--up 15.4% in the first half of 2008, according to the Publishers Information Bureau, while the Publishing Group of America's newspaper-distributed mag Relish is up 29.4%, and MIN Online pegs Saveur up 6.7% through July.

But cooking and epicurean titles in general are faring pretty poorly, with ad pages down 14.4% at Cooking Light, 14% at Everyday Food, 4% at Bon Appetit 4%, 4.1% at Food & Wine, and 18.5% at Gourmet. Separately, MIN Online has ad pages at Cooking Pleasures down 12.6% through July.

However, Hearst may be counting on hybrid vigor: the Food Network Magazine--like the TV channel of the same name--will probably combine elements of both categories, focusing on do-it-yourself recipes for foodies with refined palates, targeting a young, hip and affluent target audience.

The pub will prominently feature Food Network stars like Paula Deen, Guy Fieri, Alton Brown and Tyler Florence; it's unclear if the new magazine affects the future prospects of Cooking with Paula Deen, the first star's own title.

This month will also see the debut of two newspaper-distributed magazines focusing on healthy lifestyles and targeting adults 30 and up. Spry, another new launch from the Publishing Group of America, is due out Sept. 10, with a launch circulation of 9 million; a competing newspaper-distributed magazine from Parade, HealthyStyle, is scheduled to debut on Sept. 17, with a circulation of 8 million.

The health category is also a tough one to break into: according to PIB, ad pages at Fitness were down 23.9% in the first six months of 2008, Health was down 9.4%, Men's Health was down 12.4% and Prevention was down 8.6%.

However, PGA President Dick Porter said newspaper-distributed magazines have a couple of advantages. The general trend toward cost-cutting at newspapers means that editors and publishers are looking for ways to bolster their print offerings at minimal expense. At the same time, newspapers in small and mid-sized towns have not suffered the dramatic falloff in print circulation that has afflicted some metro dailies. Even though they may be tightening their belts, they still have considerable local influence.