New men’s mag seeks willing print partner

Despite falling magazine sales and the death of bloke’s rags, Ralph and Alpha, another publisher is set to launch a raunchy men’s mag into the troubled local market.

Employing the talents of the former editor of Ralph, Santi Pintado, Bondi-based Nuclear Media will pitch Maxim Australia into its stable of titles, which includes kids mag Krash and tattoo publication, Post Modern Ink.

Michael Downs, managing director of Nuclear Media says plans for the magazine have been in the works since last July, the day Ralph closed. First print run will be 80,000 copies.

“When the two mags that would be your competitors close, it seemed like a punt worth taking. I think we are more likely to succeed than fail, but everything is a risk,” said Downs.

Nuclear is hoping the new localised magazine will take on FHM in its first year, “Maxim Australia will be cheeky and upmarket, more like FHM than Zoo," said Downs.

The new mag comes to the market at a time when magazine circulations are falling across the board. Maxim Australia will be the 25th international edition of the men’s magazine, whose reach extends over Europe, Asia and the US since its UK launch in 1995.

According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, recent March-quarter magazine sale numbers show all weekly publications took a hit in the sales department with a like-for-like comparison to the December 2010 quarter.

Industry figures struck out at the figures saying that while it had been a hard three-month period it is wrong to compare sequential quarters or quarter-on-quarter numbers. Yet sales figures for weekly publications are released quarterly and monthly titles are released twice a year.

Downs is confident of the new mags future as the global brand received over ten billion media impressions in 2010.