2486 I can hardly wait

Shock magazine will be on the newstands next week. I collect premiere issues. The word is . . . Gross photos. Uncensored stories. Rotting flesh. Celebs. Oh, goody. Sounds like just another laddie mag. Maybe I'll pass.

New York Post story: "One of the few launches from a major magazine publisher will hit newsstands on May 30 when Hachette Filipacchi Media unleashes Shock with a print run of 300,000 and a cover price of only $1.99.

"We think we are a category buster with a new product," said Hachette Filipacchi CEO Jack Kliger.

The magazine's content will range from the bizarre to the sexy - although only the Web site will have the nudity that made it into print in a French version, Choc, launched two-and-a-half years ago.

"We're certainly going to show images that press the envelope a little bit," said Mike Hammer, the editor-in-chief of the American version and formally the editor-in-chief of Dennis Publishing's Stuff."

Well, the price on the first issue looks OK. New issues are up around $4-$5.00. Newstand and subscription price means nothing. Wired is $10.00 a year because it is loaded with expensive advertising. I think there aren't a whole lot of advertisers for this genre.