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The look is vaguely reminiscent of Martha Stewart Living, with pastel colors, spare design, a monthly calendar, and the magazine's relaxed founder reclining in a rattan chair on the cover.
But O, The Oprah Magazine, is casting itself as a how-to guide for the spirit rather than one that dabbles in pot-roast recipes and pom-pom bunnies. "If Martha Stewart is about prettiness in the exterior, this is about loveliness in the interior," explains Good Housekeeping Editor-in-Chief Ellen Levine, who helped pitch the magazine concept to Oprah Winfrey last year as a joint venture between Hearst Magazines and WInfrey's Harpo Entertainment Group. As Winfrey herself puts it: "This is a personal-growth guide.
"The question, of course, is whether this personal-growth guide can keep readers coming back for more. The premiere issue certainly suggests that O is trying to carve a fairly broad niche. There's an eclectic mix of inspirational stories, recipes, quotes, fashion, beauty, book excerpts, and even a worksheet that would have readers ponder such eternal questions as "Am I satisfied with the life that I am living?" and "What is my heart's deepest desire?"
FAMOUS FACE.
Permeating the other pages is Winfrey herself. Her famous face shows up throughout the magazine, in editorial copy as well as in ads for the Web site and for Oprah's Personal Growth Summits. She has a "Let's Talk" feature at the front of the magazine, an interview with Camille Cosby, and a back-page column entitled "What I Know For Sure." In short, she's everywhere. Given Winfrey's megastar status, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Hearst Magazines President Cathleen Black admits that, without the presence of a personality like Winfrey, an inspirational magazine for women might not work.
But even Winfrey's magnetic personality can only do so much. Her name is bound to fuel interest for the first several issues, which will appear bimonthly until it becomes a monthly in September. Some might even argue that an initial run of 1 million copies at $2.95 each is modest, given that her TV show draws 22 million viewers each week. After a while, though, the glitter could wear off -- leaving readers to judge O on content alone. That could be a higher hurdle to scale. Witness the troubles with George magazine before founder John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash last year. Even more instructive is Talk magazine, in which Hearst also invested. Talk has so far failed to live up to the hype its celebrity editor, Tina Brown, generated at the magazine's launch .
O faces a tough road ahead for several reasons. Winfrey's warm, touchy-feely style doesn't always translate well to a magazine format, for one thing. While her interview with Cosby feels like a soft conversation between friends that lingers a little too long, her columns need more meat to become truly inspirational and interesting. "Let's Talk" starts with the line "When I was 3 years old..." and goes on to describe how her magazine is about inspiration and spirit. Meanwhile, "What I Know For Sure" starts with, "In the Third Grade, I learned the Golden Rule..." and proceeds to offer such truisms as her view that happiness is never something you get from other people. Winfrey herself jokes that she only knows about 10 things for sure and may run out of material within a year. With these kinds of platitudes, you almost hope she's right.
Some of the regular features also feel as if their best days will soon be behind them. Take "This Month's Mission" calendar, which in the first issue focuses on tapping your personal courage. Each day contains quotes or tips, such as "write down what's keeping you from reaching your goals" and "resolve to do one tough thing today." How far can O really hope to extend this franchise? One might also wonder if the sweeping questions in "Something to Think About," inspirational quotes of "Oprah to Go," and two-page photo spread called "Breathing Space" might wear thin after a while.
DISAPPOINTMENTS.
But a bigger potential problem for O is that it doesn't seem to have figured out its audience. On the one hand, the magazine looks like another upscale urban publication with stylized photo spreads and features such as decorating a room in shades of white, producing homemade stationery, the joys of flower-petal baths, and planning all-girl retreats at cute country inns. There also are plenty of big-name writers, including financial planner Suze Orman, former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, and spiritual pundit Gary Zukav. On the other hand, some of the articles are so basic that an upscale reader might see them as condescending: how to surf the Web, how to pick the perfect pantyhose, and how to nourish your senses with simple pleasures like a sunrise or fresh-baked bread.
There's nothing wrong with a magazine that gets its readers to aspire to a better life, and Oprah Winfrey is an excellent point person. But Winfrey would be wise to build on the audience that already turns to her for inspiration. That could mean everything from featuring large-size models -- something she promises to do in the next issue -- to having a wider range of voices, faces, and lifestyles in her magazine.
To be sure, launching a new magazine in this market is itself an exercise in courage. Winfrey knows too well about recent disappointments such as Talk and Time Warner's Real Simple. She also seems possessed of a clear vision about what she wants to bring to her readers. The challenge for O is to make sure the powerful personality of its founder and editorial director comes through in print -- month after month.
Brady writes about a wide range of subjects for Business Week in New York EDITED BY THANE PETERSON
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