Primedia's Pro Football Weekly is acquiring Basketball
Weekly from FL-based Curtis Publishing and will merge the
title into its Basketball News, launched earlier this year,
according to George Lazarus of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Pro
Football Weekly "wants" Basketball Weekly's subscriber list
of about 45,000. That, coupled with Basketball News, which
has a circulation of 70,000, would give the combined
publications "a pretty good rate base," although there is a
duplication of about 10,000-12,000 between the two. Lazarus
adds that "for the time being, at least," Basketball News
will remain the title and Basketball Weekly "will be put on
the shelf" (George Lazarus, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/9).
PUBLISHING NOTES: Petersen Publishing Chair of the Exec
Committee D. Claeys Bahrenburg, on the company's recent
acquisition of Inside Sports: "[W]e're not finished yet.
We're in active negotiations with titles on the trade side
and on the lookout for any other sport-related title" (AD
AGE, 6/8 issue)....Aegis Group Publishers this week unveils
its new national soccer magazine, Kick! The one million
controlled-circulation quarterly will be distributed in the
top 20 markets, and will contain 19 ad pages, including buys
from Chevrolet and Reebok (MEDIAWEEK, 6/8 issue).
