News Corp.'s new golf magazine, Maximum Golf, plans to
have a 750,000 "sale base in four years" and doesn't "plan
on taking away from its elder competitors," including Golf
Digest and Golf Magazine, but "rather filling a need,"
according to CNBC's Mike Hegedus on "The Edge." Maximum
Golf Publisher Terry Russell stated that while the median
age of the Golf Digest and Golf Magazine subscriber is 50
years old, "we're going to be somewhere around 30 to 33
[years old]." But Zenith Media Senior VP Melissa Pordy said
her first reaction to Maximum Golf was, "What is the world
coming to [and] do we really need this?" Maximum Golf
Editor-in-Chief Michael Caruso: "For the first time in
history, there are as many golfers who are under 40 as over
40. There's been no magazines for these guys, ever. So,
we're the magazine for that new, Tiger Woods generation."
Hegedus noted the magazine is a place where "golf [meets]
sex." Caruso, on focusing on the topics: "We've got a
subject that guys are just as passionate about and some guys
are actually more passionate about, and that's golf. Most
guys are actually better at golf. They took a survey
recently and 80% of all golfers said they would rather shoot
par than have sex with a movie star of their choice."
Hegedus said this younger generation "is also one that
advertisers covet, including traditional golf advertisers
like clothing manufacturers" ("The Edge," CNBC, 6/14).
