3RD IN TOUCH MAG SETS LAUNCH
By KEITH J. KELLY NY POST
October 1, 2002 -- When German media giant Bauer launches its latest U.S. effort - a women's entertainment magazine called In Touch Weekly in the last week of October - the new magazine will will have plenty of company.
Aside from natural rivals such as Us Weekly, People and The Star, at least three other national magazines already use some version of "In Touch" in their titles.
Those range from the In Touch Ministry magazine published by televangelist Rev. Charles Stanley in Atlanta, Ga., to a gay men's porn magazine out of North Hollywood, Calif., and a Melville, L. I.-based Cancer prevention magazine, In Touch.
"We were the first to copyright back in 1973," claims Glen Bassett, publisher of In Touch for Men, the gay men's magazine.
Steve LeGrice, the executive editor of the Bauer launch, In Touch Weekly, said he isn't worried about confused readers.
"It is probably safe to say their magazine is not going to be on sale in Wal-Mart next to us," he said.
For its part, the new In Touch from Bauer - the American arm of German media giant Bauer, which already publishes First for Women and Woman's World - does not think the plethora of In Touch magazines is a problem - either legally or marketwise.
The magazine's $10 million launch will put the first issue on the stands Oct. 28 with a Nov. 4 cover date.
Sources said the company will use aggressive price cuts to gain a toehold in a newssstand-only market.
The first issue is expected to send out 1.5 million copies that sell for 99 cents apiece. The second week, the price will rise to what is expected to be its normal $1.99 price - with distribution of 1 million.
But it is only promising advertisers that it will deliver 250,000 circulation.
"It is going to be entertainment driven, but it will also have elements such as health, beauty, stress reduction and diet in there," said LeGrice, who said his In Touch is aiming women in their 30s.
Bauer's biggest headache will come from entrenched competitors.
David Pecker, at American Media which publishes The National Enquirer, The Star and The Globe, said he just pumped in $2 million to $3 million more into his editorial operations - opening new bureaus and hiring Joan and Melissa Rivers to do fashion coverage for The Star.