BA customer magazine set for take-off as paid-for title

High Life, the British Airways customer magazine produced by contract publisher Premier Magazines, may launch as a paid-for news-stand title under a development deal agreed between the airline and publisher.

The magazine, founded in 1973 by Premier chairman Bill Davis, has a monthly circulation of 300,000 and will remain with the publisher into the new millennium after a new deal was announced this week.

Premier fought off stiff competition from rival contract publishers to maintain its grip on the title. Premier executives claim High Life is the most significant contract in the UK.

The magazine has estimated ad revenues of 5m a year with the latest monthly readership estimates at 1.7 million.

Meanwhile, Boots’ customer magazine has ditched Redwood Publishing for IPC’s contract publishing division.

The annual magazine will be run as a joint venture between IPC’s business enterprise team and The Publishing Team, which produces the Virgin airline and Barclaycard customer titles.

It is the second customer title produced by the IPC business enterprise unit, which is also launching the new GMTV magazine and organising book publishing ventures.

The summer 1997 magazine will be available in Boots stores at the end of May.