Popular Science Launches New Multimedia Magazine
CONTACT: Lisa Hagendorf Zinio 646.383.4050 Lhagendorf@zinio.com Amanda McNally PopSci Media Group 212.779.5527 Amanda.Mcnally@bonniercorp.com POPULAR SCIENCE LAUNCHES NEW MULTIMEDIA MAGAZINE NEW YORK (March 17, 2009) – Today, Popular Science announced the launch of a new, exclusively digital multimedia magazine -- The PopSci Genius Guide -- which makes it the first-ever major consumer publication to use enhanced digital technology from Zinio. The PopSci Genius Guide enables online readers to interact with the multimedia publication by viewing videos, animation and rich media files, embedded in stories and advertisements, throughout the entire magazine. The first issue of The PopSci Genius Guide will be available for purchase starting today, through www.popsci.com/geniusguide. “There is an appetite for digital publications with the success of electronic-reading devices such as the Kindle, and the launch of so many more on the horizon,” says Mark Jannot, editor-in-chief of Popular Science and The PopSci Genius Guide. “We’re really excited to be at the forefront of that movement and offer digital readers a quality product with the great design, imagination and authority they expect from our brand.” The multimedia publication will feature Popular Science’s trademark in-depth coverage of science and technology, with each issue focused on a topic of special interest to multimedia readers. Appropriately, the first issue will highlight home entertainment, offering readers all the information they need to set up the ultimate home theater -- from the precise placement of speakers, to the optimum connections for all the gear, to the best site for downloading movies -- all delivered through highly interactive pages, 3-D diagrams and videos. Each issue of The PopSci Genius Guide will contain exclusive original content. According to Jannot, The PopSci Genius Guide will complement the magazine’s existing website, PopSci.com, launched in 1994. “Our website features original content and is updated many times daily with the latest news in science and technology, but websites and blogs aren’t a good delivery system for magazine-style service journalism and longer-format feature writing. Multimedia editions allow us to bridge that gap, and work toward creating the magazines of the future.” In the first year, readership for The PopSci Genius Guide is estimated at 900,000. The quarterly magazine will use a payment-based subscription model. “This is truly a new frontier in media,” says Gregg Hano, publisher of the PopSci Media Group. “Advertisers have the opportunity to reach a highly targeted male audience, who are at the forefront technologically. We are excited to be able to partner with Zinio to enable such a dynamic experience for our readers and our advertisers.” “Over the years, millions of consumers around the world have enjoyed using Zinio to access, read or purchase the print magazines they love, in a digital format,” said Rich Maggiotto, President and CEO of Zinio. “As consumers become more and more used to this media, they begin to desire an enhanced experience. We are thrilled that Popular Science has created such an innovative new format that responds to the next generation reader’s needs and wants.” About Popular Science Founded in 1872, Popular Science is the world’s largest science and technology magazine, with a circulation of 1.3 million and 6.6 million readers. Each month, Popular Science delivers “The Future Now,” reporting on the intersection of science and everyday life with an eye toward what’s new and why it matters. Its readers believe that the future is going to be better, and Popular Science gives them the tools and information to improve their technology and their world. The winner of the 2004 National Magazine Award for General Excellence, Popular Science is published by the Bonnier Corporation. About Zinio, LLC Zinio is the global leader for digital-publishing products and services. Zinio provides publishers with new circulation and revenue-growth opportunities through its comprehensive offerings from marketing programs that include customer acquisition, retention and cross-promotion to seamless production services, a robust e-commerce engine and extensive digital delivery, circulation and fulfillment services. Major publishing partners include Alpha Media Group, Bonnier Group, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Hearst, IDG, Mariah Media, Inc., Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, McGraw-Hill, Playboy Enterprises, Inc., Rogers Publishing Limited, Source Interlink Media, The Economist, Transcontinental and Ziff Davis. Zinio has offices in San Francisco and New York with several franchisees worldwide. For more information, or to purchase any of the digital titles offered by Zinio, please visit www.zinio.com. # # #
