New Men's Mag on the Way

Edge, a flashy new men's magazine produced by a core of Harvard students with backing from Time/Warner, Inc., is slotted to begin publishing with a 68-page, full color issue next spring, said Publisher and Editorial Director Aaron N. Shapiro '94.

Shapiro said the magazine will target high school and college-age males with an "honest and open perspective" on issues like dating, sex, sports and music.

"No magazine covers this market," Shapiro said. "This is the first attempt to reach this age group."

Comp Director Carey W. Gabay '94 called Edge a "male version of Sixteen" that aims to be a "young male's best friend." He stressed that Edge is unique because it is "run by the students it's targeted to," unlike magazines with a similar audience, such as Rolling Stone.

Edge will distinguish itself from other Harvard publications due to its backing from Time/Warner and outside investors from Wall Street, Shapiro said.

The magazine will rely on newsstand circulation, subscriptions and advertisement for revenue. "It's a real business," Shapiro said.

Shapiro said he expects Edge to have a circulation of about 200,000 in English-speaking countries all over the world.

Edge kicked off its unorthodox approach to magazine publishing with a mysterious campus-wide publicity blitz.

The first flyers to appear read simply "Edge" and later "Edge: Details to Follow."

Marketing Director Marc E. Lucas '94 said the group avoided giving explicit information about Edge in order to create a "general inquisitory feel about the magazine."

The most recent set of posters finally broached the question "What is...Edge," answering itself with: "the only nationally distributed magazine for students, written by students, and run by students. And it's a real business. Enough said."

Edge currently has a full-time staff of about 20 people and is starting a comp to expand that base, Shapiro said. Harvard students will anchor the magazine, ultimately forming about half of the staff, while students from other campuses will make up the other half, he said.

Although Edge plans to focus on men's issues, women on the staff will help to add a "multi-gender perspective," Lucas said, adding that women will account for about 15 to 20 percent of the magazine's sales.

"We know there will be a closet readership of females," he said.

"The name `Edge' symbolizes what the magazine is about," said Lucas. "It's not the typical genre magazine."

Gabay summed up the general slant of the fledgling magazine: "It's for people who want to have a good time."