Regent Media Assumes Majority Interest in PlanetOut

Regent Entertainment Media, publishers of The Advocate and Out magazines and owner of the here! TV network announced Thursday that it has signed a merger agreement with PlanetOut Inc. The combined company will be known as Here Media Inc, 80% of which will be owned by the owners of Regent Entertainment Media.

In addition owning here! TV, The Advocate, and Out, Regent Entertainment Media also publishes HIV Plus magazine and Alyson Books. Its online presence includes Advocate.com, Out.com, HIVPlusMag.com, OutTraveler.com, and SheWired.com. PlanetOut runs two of the longest-established gay sites on the Web, PlanetOut.com and Gay.com.

“This business combination will unite a powerful broadband video solution with an iconic brand and a leading URL in the LGBT community,” said Paul Colichman, CEO of Regent Entertainment Media. “We are extremely excited about the opportunity to leverage this exceptional collection of assets to expand our audience, grow our revenues, and increase stockholder value.” (Advocate.com)

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Name: South Jersey Steve
Date posted: 1/12/2009 4:36:00 PM
Hometown: Cherry Hill, NJ

Comment:
Maybe they can "beef up" (pun intended) the Advocate magazine. I reluctantly renewed this year, only to be again disappointed in the shallow articles and titillating stories, not like the hard hitting magazine of the 1980's and 1990's. Now, it's like reading People or Us magazine and I don't need another rag mag in my mailbox.
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Name: Rusty Harris
Date posted: 1/10/2009 3:27:00 PM
Hometown: Vista, CA

Comment:
Following up on Chris Parker's 01-10 10:30 am post, it would be nice to see a magazine aimed at the over-50 LGBT market, period. So much of the content in the current hard copy of Advocate is geared to the younger, more urban readers with little addressing the older, more suburban readers (of any gender) who have more dollars to spend -- or did before the markets tanked.
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Name: chris parker
Date posted: 1/10/2009 10:30:00 AM
Hometown: andreas

Comment:
Both publications are male-oriented. Although we do have Curve and Girlfriends, both are marketed to and are largely about young femmes. (yes, there is the occasional bit involving older dykes, but that's not much). I'm willing to bet that a magazine aimed at the over-50 lesbian market ( a fast-growing population) would be a resounding success! I'd love to start one, but that takes lots of money...
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Name: Ray
Date posted: 1/9/2009 10:53:00 AM
Hometown: NYC

Comment:
Here we go again! The musical chairs never stops ... Well, whatever it takes to survive, I guess.

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