Magazines Move To TV To Stay Alive; Prevention Partners With The Doctors

After a successful partnership with the NBC show The Biggest Loser, Prevention magazine will now link itself to CBS talk show The Doctors, in another example of a novel, but increasingly viable model of cross-promotion. According to a report from Mediaweek, the multi-level deal comes with appearances on the show by editor-in-chief Liz Vaccariello, in addition to ads both online and in print.

Health publisher Rodale, home to Prevention and Men’s Health, will also publish a book based on the program, giving a higher profile to the show’s doctors in print. Mediaweek is savvy to point out that while “magazines have had a tough time extending their brands to TV by creating spinoff shows, piggybacking on existing shows has proved more successful.” The big-time partnership with NBC and The Biggest Loser lasted for six seasons and included “book publishing, online diet club, on-air promotions of the magazine, and show appearances by Vaccariello and Rodale’s Men’s Health editor David Zinczenko.”

Forward-thinking moves like this will be crucial as the number of magazine titles at large publishers continues to dwindle, and magazines like Prevention move to cut their rate base in an attempt to restore ad dollars. The symbiosis of media properties has proven especially valuable in a struggling industry and will likely be seen as prescient down the line.

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