Audio Video News

The Home Technology & Photography Group (HT&P) of Primedia and website BestStuff.com announced today the launch of Best, a shopping magazine focused on the products and experiences that enhance an upscale lifestyle. Best, which hits newsstands on Thursday, November 6 at a $3.99 cover price, is an "aspirational" magazine which offers features ranging from the selection and use of home theaters and high-end audio and video systems, to digital photography, computers, and video imaging products, as well as the finest in automobiles and ultimate travel suggestions.

The premiere issue of Best features a cover shot of Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise and CEO of HDNet, a leading provider of HDTV satellite programming. According to a recent Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) survey, 9 million households are likely to purchase HDTV products during the next 18 months, and another 30 million consumers consider themselves likely purchasers within the next three years.

Mick Fleetwood, drummer and founder of the rock super-group Fleetwood Mac, serves as guest contributing editor for the launch issue, offering his picks for high-tech gadgets, while Stereophile senior contributing editor Michael Fremer, in a special feature, offers thumbnail sketches of the loudspeakers that he feels define the current state of the art.

"Best magazine is that close friend, that trusted advisor who knows what's good in life and how to get it. For smart, successful, tech-aggressive consumers who want to 'have it all'—without burying themselves in exhaustive lab reports—Best is the essential guide to learning about and buying the best products the market has to offer," said Irwin Kornfeld, vice president and group publisher of Primedia's HT&P Group. "The magazine complements readers' purchasing research, both on the Web and in retail stores. Premiere issue cover subject Mark Cuban is a hero of the Best reader and Mick Fleetwood, music industry icon and one of the more tech-savvy celebrities, is an exemplar to those who want the 'best stuff in life.'"

Best's editorial and promotional partnership with BestStuff.com, a leading source of consumer information, will provide the magazine its roster of contributing editors—industry experts in their specific fields—and will help to promote the magazine. John Kelley, BestStuff.com's editor, serves as Best's editor-in-chief, and John Lentz, founder of BestStuff.com, is the magazine's publishing director.

"Best appears at a time when the technology and consumer electronics market is rebounding, and at a time when next-generation products are flooding store shelves," said John Lentz. "The buyers for these top-quality products are the same people who favor premium cars, travel extensively and exclusively, and want all the best tools for living."

"Best captures an elusive segment of the market: the sophisticated, affluent male shopper," said Dan Aks, chief operating officer of Primedia's Consumer Magazine Group. "Best is an umbrella for Primedia Home Technology & Photography Group's specialty audio, video, and photography titles, and at the same time guides our readers in new directions."

To order Best online, click here.