MEREDITH TO OFFER WOMEN 'MORE': MAGAZINE TEST TO TARGET READERS 45 YEARS AND OLDER

Meredith Corp. has given the green light to a test issue of More, a new magazine aimed at women 45 years old and above. The first issue is slated to hit newsstands April 29 with initial distribution of 400,000 and 28 ad pages from marketers including American Home Products Corp., Armstrong World Industries, Campbell Soup Co., Coty, General Motors Corp. and Revlon. 'LHJ' OVERSEES LAUNCH "There are 5 million more women in their 50s than there are [women] in their 20s, and yet there are no magazines for women in their 50s," said Myrna Blyth, publications director of Ladies' Home Journal, which is overseeing the launch. "I think it could eventually hit a circulation of 600,000 to 800,000," she said. A second test issue is slated for fall and, depending on reader response, the magazine could go to either quarterly or every-other- monthly frequency by 1998. It's not the first time publishers have attempted to tap this age segment. The late 1980s saw a spate of new books in the niche, including Lear's and Mirabella. Lear's eventually folded; Mirabella is still around, but new owner Hachette Filipacchi Magazines recast it as a fashion magazine aimed at a younger audience. Said Ladies' Home Journal Publisher Michael Brownstein, who is serving as launch publisher of More: "The over-50 market controls 75% of the total wealth in the

MEREDITH TO OFFER WOMEN 'MORE': MAGAZINE TEST TO TARGET READERS 45 YEARS AND OLDER

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