New Media to launch new lifestyle magazine

City Press newspaper has chosen New Media to launch a weekend lifestyle magazine supplement.  The 32-page, large format magazine will debut 2 October in the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal markets as a regular insert in national Sunday newspaper City Press.

The pioneering magazine follows the U.K. trend of major national newspapers like The Guardian and The Sunday Times, whose weekend supplements are high quality consumer magazines rather than traditional newspaper inserts.

“We are very proud that City Press will once again be innovating in the Sunday market and thrilled that we are significantly increasing the value we offer to our loyal readers,” says Media24 Emerging Markets CEO, Fergus Sampson.

The title of the magazine is simply ‘I’– a single letter that reflects the confidence of its targeted readers, who are excited to be part of today’s growing, optimistic and multicultural South Africa.  It is also the universal symbol for information, which is presented in spades with both style and panache, between the magazine’s covers.

“We have designed ‘I’ as an antidote to hard news; the perfect long, lazy, Sunday afternoon read,” says New Media’s Content Director, Clare O’Donoghue.  “But it’s so chock full of style, useful information and smart, witty commentary that we think readers will want to keep the magazine all week!”

New Media’s entrée into the Sunday lifestyle weekly market follows hot on the heels of another key appointment to produce now! for Vodacom.  The publisher has also recently launched ‘W’, a quarterly fashion glossy for Woolworth’s, following in the footsteps of its successful Woolworth’s TASTE magazine, launched in 2003.

“Building something as big and ambitious as a weekly magazine, with all our other titles going full throttle, is a huge undertaking,” says New Media’s Business Development Director, Andrew Nunneley  “It’s an exciting challenge that requires expansion and restructuring, but it’s one we feel we have the creative talent and experience to meet.   Hard work and a knack for reading people has made us South Africa’s leading content marketer, so to us, it seems fitting that we are producing a national media first.  It’s a unique title for a unique audience, that offers new and exciting marketing opportunities.”  Oude Molen’s 100 Reserve vintage brandy and Le Creuset have already signed up as advertisers for the first issue.

Nunneley sums it up boldly:  ”We’re going to change Sundays forever!”