USAT | In deal with magazine giant, a small role

Reviewing this week's announcement about a partnership between USA Today and the publisher of Shape, the National Enquirer and other magazines, I was struck by this passage: "In addition to its editorial responsibilities, [American Media] will handle all advertising sales and production as well."

That makes USAT sound like a very minor partner. The newspaper's contribution will include some editorial to the new series of 12 magazines this year using a "Best Of" theme.

The first, The Best of Diet and Fitness, "draws heavily from AMI's leading health and fitness authorities at Shape and's Men's Fitness," the announcement says. It's scheduled to go on sale at the end of February, with more than 400,000 copies distributed at newsstands, airports and hotels across the country.

Terms of the deal, including how profits get split, weren't disclosed.

AMI's other titles include Star, OK!, Globe, Country Weekly, Soap Opera Digest, Muscle & Fitness and Flex.

Over the years, USAT has tried various niche magazine projects. One of the most recent: Prime, a color newspaper insert for high school football fans. One that didn't work: OpenAir, an outdoors enthusiast magazine.