Martha To Test Mag For Young Women

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., which said last September that it was studying whether to launch a lifestyle magazine aimed at young women, confirmed plans Thursday for a two-issue test that will debut this spring. The magazine, titled "Blueprint: Design Your Life," aims to teach and inspire women on how to decorate, dress, entertain and organize their lives.

The target audience is women aged 25 to 45.

The first issue, priced at $3.50, will be available on newsstands in May with an initial pledged circulation base of 250,000. A second issue is slated for August 2006. The company anticipates publishing six issues of Blueprint in 2007.

"The research we conducted showed a large demographic of younger women at a critical time in their lives — setting up homes, establishing careers, getting married, having children and outfitting and upgrading their lives," Lauren Stanich, president of publishing for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, said in a statement.

The magazine will be under the direction of MSLO's development editor, Tom Prince. Company officials said Stewart, the founder, will contribute ideas to the magazine.

In a statement, Stewart noted that her aim has "always been to create magazines and products that teach and inspire women to live artfully, practically and well."

Blueprint, the first publication launch since Stewart was released from prison last March, is the latest in a series of projects, from new TV shows to books, that aim to revitalize the company. Stewart served a five-month prison sentence for lying about a stock sale.

The company's flagship magazine "Martha Stewart Living" is enjoying an advertising comeback after many advertisers fled amid Stewart's legal woes, while recent publications that don't carry Stewart's name — "Body & Soul," which it acquired in Aug. 2004, and "Everyday Food" — have had a good response.

But Stewart's post-prison TV comeback has been disappointing. Stewart's new daytime show "Martha," which has seen improved ratings, is being renewed for a second season. But her prime-time role as the boardroom boss in "The Apprentice," a spin-off from the popular Donald Trump series, was short-lived. Stewart's edition was not renewed.