2008-09-09 19:36:02 -

- MEDIA: Sloane & Company Amanda Cheslock, 212-446-1884 acheslock@sloanepr.com OR Cooke+Co. Elisabeth Edelman, 978-621-7500 elisabeth@cooke-co.com Modern Luxury Media, the largest publisher of city magazines in the United States, today launched Manhattan magazine, a lifestyle glossy covering the New York City luxe life. The magazine premieres with a special look at whom and what is leading the city's fashion and home design industries. Its arrival will be feted tonight with a private press party at the Bryant Park Hotel, the epicenter of New York City Fashion Week activity, and followed by a larger celebration later in the month.

With the debut of Manhattan magazine, Modern Luxury's 13th major market consumer magazine, the 16-year old publishing company becomes the only city-regional

publisher in the U.S. able to offer advertisers reach into every major market in the country.

"We've been looking forward to this day for a long time," said Stephen Kong, Manhattan magazine's publisher. Although Modern Luxury has not published a major consumer magazine in New York until now, the company has maintained offices in Manhattan for ten years due to the large number of national luxury brands based in New York who advertise in other Modern Luxury magazines around the country. Kong added, "These are tough times for the publishing industry generally speaking, and we are very pleased to see our newest launch be so strongly supported by our long-time advertisers. Their loyalty made our entry here extremely smooth. To finally arrive and publish in New York is a crowning achievement for us."

Manhattan magazine caters to the interests, sensibilities and 24/7 lifestyle of New York's working affluent. The September/October premiere issue devotes 101+ pages to uptown chic and downtown hip:

-- Stylist Rachel Zoe dishes on her new show, rumors about her being a diva and how she deals with all the controversy she seems to stir up.

-- Fashion photographer and filmmaker Danny Clinch exclusively shoots the up-and-coming band School of Seven Bells in DUMBO.

-- "The A to Z of New York Design!" features stories on the New Museum of Arts and Design, the architecture and design projects associated with the High Line, and new faces and VIPs from NYC's design scene.

-- "New York City's Most Obedient Designers" sit down with the hot downtown fashion design couple behind Obedient Sons and Daughters.

PLUS...

-- "The Dirty Little Secret of High End Wine Auctions" takes a startling look at whether the increasing popularity of New York City wine auctions is leading to an upsurge in wine forgery.

-- Chuck Thompson, acclaimed author of the book Smile When You're Lying, aims to answer the question "Why Can't Big Bucks Buy a Sports Championship?" with a story looking at the economics of New York teams and overspending on aging all-stars.

-- "Best Restaurants" reviews Adour Alain Ducasse and a dining guide featuring more than 175 of the city's stand-out, high-end restaurants.

"The affluent New Yorker is savvy and discriminating. They want to be ahead of the next best thing, brought behind the velvet rope and given exclusive access to the people, products, services and destinations that are defining the city's luxury lifestyle now," said Richard Martin, the magazine's editor-in-chief. "There is an expectation that our reader will be exposed to content, brands and an aesthetic that plays directly to their interests and helps them enjoy the absolute best the city has to offer. Our launch issue delivers on this expectation."

Manhattan magazine is Modern Luxury's 34th title (the company also publishes magazines in the visitor, bridal, home and men's interest categories) and enters the New York media market with an initial circulation of 60,000 distributed directly to select residential real estate in New York City and surrounding areas of wealth in Connecticut, New Jersey and Long Island. The magazine will also be distributed in upscale retail hubs via luxury hoteliers, boutiques, real estate offices, select newsstand locations and bookstore chains.

Manhattan magazine will publish bi-monthly through the end of 2009. Each issue will showcase the best that luxury brands have to offer and blend service-oriented features with high artistry to guide the well-heeled New Yorker through the city's fast-paced world of design, culture, art, fashion and dining.

Later this month, Modern Luxury Media will unveil a robust digital platform for Manhattan magazine and its full portfolio of luxury city-regional brands, including localized mobile and iPhone applications. Modern Luxury announced its extension into an email product - a first in a series of moves to deliver new and engaging content and interactions with readers and advertisers - through an acquisition of julib.com in July that added more than 750,000 online subscribers to its already five million monthly readers nationwide.

The digital edition of Manhattan magazine can be found at: www.modernluxury.com.

ABOUT MODERN LUXURY MEDIA

Modern Luxury Media, LLC ("Modern Luxury") is the largest publisher of city-regional magazines in the United States, currently publishing 34 magazines across 13 major metro markets including: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Honolulu, San Diego, Orange County, CA and Napa/Sonoma, CA. Focused on "luxury lifestyle," including fashion, jewelry, dining, travel, design, automotive, art and architecture, Modern Luxury specifically targets the affluent reader. Modern Luxury magazines distribute more than 1 million copies nationally each month, reaching more than 5 million readers per month.

The company was founded by brothers Michael and Stephen Kong in 1993 in Chicago. Today, they are backed by Clarity Partners, LP, the largest media-focused private equity fund in Los Angeles.

Premiere Issue of Lifestyle Glossy for Manhattanites Highlights
Fashion and Design with Features on Rachel Zoe, the Wine Auction
Business and the A to Z of the New York Design World