Former Playboy exec to launch LV magazine

Monday, Jan. 20, 2003 | 11:13 a.m.

Richard N. Velotta

The former president of publishing for Playboy Enterprises Inc. will launch a publication for the Greenspun Media Group aimed at driving tourism to Las Vegas, the company announced today.

Michael Carr was named vice president of business development for Greenspun Media Group, which publishes In Business Las Vegas, Las Vegas Weekly, Las Vegas Life magazine, The Ralston Report, ShowBiz Weekly, ShowBiz Japan, VegasGolfer magazine and operates VEGAS.com.

The Greenspun family, owner of Greenspun Media Group, also owns the Las Vegas Sun and is a partner in the Las Vegas ONE cable news television channel.

"Michael joining the Media Group reinforces our commitment to continue to grow the publishing segment of our business," said Daniel Greenspun, GMG president. "He has been and will continue to be a major player in our industry."

The publication, to be named Vegas The Magazine, will be celebrity- and young-people oriented, Carr said, with a target demographic of men and women between the ages of 21-44. It will appear 10 times a year, including two double issues a year.

The magazine, described by Carr as "a marriage between InStyle and Ocean Drive" will be the first Greenspun publication to be distributed in markets primarily outside the Las Vegas area.

"We'll be showing off the playful side of Las Vegas," Carr said.

The publication will be sold in Las Vegas feeder markets with airport and bookstore sales in Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, Chicago, Miami and Detroit. The newsstand price will be $5 a copy.

Stories will focus on fashion, entertainment, the club scene, dining establishments and how visitors can get VIP treatment in Las Vegas. The high-end glossy publication will be in a 10-by-12-inch format, initially with 132 pages, although Carr expects the page count to grow. The initial press run will be between 60,000 and 100,000 copies, he said.

Carr said the publication would be written primarily by freelancers. A staff of six or seven editors and art directors will be hired by mid-March and the first publication is planned for June or July.

Carr spent 20 years in the publishing industry and was president and chief executive officer of Weider Publications.