Soutar unveils details of new men's free ShortList

by Ben Bold, Media Week 31-Jul-07

Former FHM editor Mike Soutar's new free men's magazine, codenamed Alpha One, is to be called ShortList and will hit the streets on Thursday 20 September, Media Week can reveal.

The majority (360,000) of the title's half-million copies will be
distributed in London. The remainder will be given to commuters in
Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds.

ShortList will be the same size as rival free magazine Sport, but will

be printed on slightly heavier paper. Content will be aimed at the 18 to
35-year-old male and will include sport, entertainment, motoring, travel
and news.

ShortList will be edited by former Nuts editor Phil Hilton and its
launch will be backed by a £2m marketing drive.

However, one press chief at a media agency warned that of all the
freesheets and free magazines available now, only Metro is making
money.

"Thelondonpaper, London Lite and Sport magazine are losing money hand
over fist," he said. "I think it's telling that the financial backing is
not from the financial world."

However, ShortList includes GLG Partners, a UK hedge fund, among its
backers, as well as film producer Matthew Vaughn and French Connection
founder Stephen Marks.

Soutar, who founded media start-up company Crash Test Media last October
after leaving IPC, where he headed new magazine ventures, takes up the
role of chief executive in the as-yet-unnamed company.

Karl Marsden, who resigned as commercial director of News
International's News Magazines, joins as managing director.

He was previously commercial director of IPC men's division, Ignite!.
Tim Ewington, a research and strategy consultant, who has worked on
print and digital launches for The Guardian, the BBC and Lastminute.com,
joins as strategy and digital director.

Matt Phare, formerly creative director for Emap's men's portfolio, is
the creative director.