|
|
BBC Knowledge Magazine: BBC's first magazine in the U.S. market - on stands today! 19 August 2008
|
| BBC Knowledge Magazine, the BBC’s first entry into the American magazine market, is on stands with the inaugural issue, today. Aimed at ‘the curious mind’ and offering informative, entertaining and inspirational features on science, history and nature, the 100-page full-color glossy will be published six times a year by BBC Worldwide, the wholly owned commercial arm of the BBC. |
Following a 1.3m direct mailing, subscriptions are building steadily with 60,000 copies distributed at launch, rising to 80,000 by issue two. CMG is the newsstand distributor and the magazine is on sale at Barnes & Noble, Borders and all Hudson News airport locations in the U.S.
Andy Benham, Publishing Director says: “The magazine has been positioned to capitalize on the strength of the BBC’s brand in the U.S. and while the content will feed American interests, the Britishness and BBC-ness of the magazine are seen as being key assets, offering consumers a fresh alternative to what is currently on the market.”
While the magazine is initially carrying a small amount of ads, the financial model is not solely reliant on that source of income. Benham comments: “Our primary aim is to build a solid core of subscribers, and early figures indicate this is the case. We want to offer readers the best of BBC stories in the magazine while carefully considering the tone and quality of any potential advertisers.” The magazine title has also just been licensed to The Institute of Science Culture & Education in Korea which will publish 12 editions per year.
The magazine division has already had success exporting titles such as BBC Music Magazine and Good Food to U.S. newsstands. Building on that readership and following positive qualitative and quantitative research carried out last year, BBC Knowledge Magazine is the first U.S. focused title. Editor Sally Palmer will work closely with leading American science journalist John Horgan (Stevens Institute of Technology), who has been appointed as U.S. Consultant Editor.
In the premiere issue, leading British historian Richard Overy investigates how lessons learned from the Nazi war trials more than 60 years ago are shaping today’s ongoing war on terror, while science journalist Robert Matthews, peers back in time to the birthing pains of our Solar System. Regular contributors include the BBC’s Europe Editor and frequent contributor to BBC World News America, Mark Mardell, who in the first issue offers an entertaining view of the U.S. political system and how it captivates the British public.
BBC Knowledge Magazine is priced at $5.99 on the newsstand and $29.95 for an annual subscription.
-ENDS-
For US media enquiries, please contact:
Sarah Takenaga
BBC WORLDWIDE AMERICAS
212-705-9422
Sarah.Takenaga@bbc.com
For UK media enquiries, please contact:
Tabitha Morton, BBC Magazines
+44 117 3148300
pr@bbcknowledge.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
BBC Knowledge
BBC Knowledge is already an established brand, having launched as a television channel in Poland, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia last year as part of BBC Worldwide’s new Global Channels business.
John Horgan, U.S. Consultant Editor, BBC Knowledge Magazine
John Horgan is an award-winning science journalist and Director of the Center for Science Writings at the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. A former senior writer at Scientific American, John has also written for publications including The New York Times, Time, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and New Scientist. For further information visit www.johnhorgan.org.
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to maximize the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the license payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has seven core businesses: Global Channels, Global TV Sales, Magazines, Content & Production, Home Entertainment, Global Brands and Digital Media.
|
|
|
|