Thomson papers testing new kids magazine p.23

By: Editorial Staff CURIOCITY, A NEW monthly publication for children between the ages of six to 14, is being test-marketed in Wisconsin.
The magazine is a product of Thomson Newspapers, Inc., and its test market is with the Thomson-owned Great Lakes News Group, which includes seven newspapers. The test-market roll-out started in October.
Jenn Champion, product manager for curiocity, said development began about a year and a half ago.
"We saw there was a huge boom of children's magazines packed with advertising, but we didn't see newspapers going the same way," she said. Newspapers are now distributing children's publications, but not specifically for this younger age group, she added.
Also, children in this age group spend an average of $10 a week, which makes curiocity a wonderful advertising vehicle, said Champion.
Curiocity is not meant to be a total- market coverage product. Instead, the 12-page tabloid can be distributed in a variety of ways. It can be inserted in the newspaper, bulk or target distributed, or sold individually. The Great Lakes News Group is selling subscriptions for $12.95 a year, and they're doing well, said Champion.
In 1996, curiocity will only be available in select markets around the country."We want to go slowly because we want to learn how to distribute this product, what kind of advertisers to approach, and as much as possible to give our clients the best product possible. We don't want to have to play catch-up; we want to do it right," explained Champion.
The 12 pages of editorial will arrive at newspapers, on a disk each month. Printing will be done by the individual newspapers.