The world's first weekly magazine for men went on sale this week - and is already winning acclaim for its web site.

ZooWeekly.co.uk launched on 21 January, one week ahead of the print publication, and has been voted web site of the week by New Media Age magazine.

The site has been key in raising the profile of Zoo before the print launch, attracting more than 45,000 unique users in its first eight days.

Zoo Weekly, produced by UK publishing giant Emap, covers football and girls as well as weird stories, TV listings and conspiracy theories.

Comedian and political activist Mark Thomas will be a regular contributor, and US filmmaker Michael Moore has also been approached to write a column for the magazine.

"The primary focus of our site is to build a loyal user base," said Dan Cotton, business manager for Zoo Weekly.

The site will be a crucial tool in reaching and building the magazine's target readership, the majority of whom will be net-literate.

"The web content is entirely separate from the magazine, and we encourage users to contribute to the site by sending in their own JPEGs, joining our votes and using items like 'our league of justice'," said Mr Cotton.

Rival publication 'Nuts' was launched by IPC last week; both magazines target male readers aged 16 to 34 and aim for a circulation of at least 150,000.

Emap has invested £8 million in Zoo Weekly, spending 18 months researching and compiling the proposition for the magazine. The print edition is expected to have a cover price of £1, while access to the site is completely free.

"When men's monthly magazines started there was a great deal of discussion about whether men would even buy magazines," said Mr Cotton.

"This is a totally new category. We won’t have the moral slant of a newspaper, but we will have the topicality that a monthly magazine can’t provide."

See also:
http://www.zooweekly.co.uk
http://www.nutsmag.co.uk
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,1115479,00.html
http://www.nma.co.uk

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