BBC to debut Lonely Planet magazine

by Anne Cassidy, Campaign 24-Jul-08, 07:00

LONDON - BBC Magazines is to launch a Lonely Planet travel magazine and website by the end of the year.

The company is meeting with media agencies in the next few weeks to present its proposals.

BBC Worldwide bought the Lonely Planet travel guide publisher last October, with the intention of building the franchise globally.

Earlier this month, Time Out appealed to the Office of Fair Trading to launch an investigation into the acquisition, claiming it breaches the BBC's fair trading policy and competition law.

Penguin, the publisher of the Rough Guide travel series, is also considering making a complaint to the Information Commissioner after failing to secure details from the BBC Trust on how it plans to run the Lonely Planet business in the future.

Lonely Planet, founded in 1972 by husband and wife Tony and Maureen Wheeler, has operations in the UK, the US and Australia, and publishes around 500 titles.