New York Times and Scholasticto Co-Publish The New York Times Upfront

Posted on March 18, 1999

The New York Times Company and Scholastic Inc. have announced that they have reached an agreement to publish The New York Times Upfront, a news magazine designed specifically for teenagers. The joint announcement was made by Dick Robinson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Scholastic Inc., and Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., chairman of The New York Times Company and publisher of the newspaper.

The New York Times Upfront will feature articles on current news events and politics, including stories of particular interest to teens, culled primarily from the pages of The New York Times. The publication will include pieces written exclusively for The New York Times Upfront by Times reporters from around the world, as well as articles and features from The Times revised specifically for the magazine's audience. A senior editorial team, drawn from both Scholastic and The Times, will oversee the editing process, and will rely on Scholastic's expertise in producing engaging materials for students.

"All of us at The New York Times are delighted with this partnership with Scholastic, a well respected organization in the educational arena. We are pleased to be able to extend The New York Times brand to the next generation of readers through the creation of The New York Times Upfront," said Mr. Sulzberger. "The New York Times Upfront is a natural extension of our educational initiatives, including our Newspaper in Education program and our recently launched New York Times Learning Network."

"Scholastic has developed the unique ability to understand what young people of all ages want, and knows how to create kid-friendly materials that parents and teachers trust," said Mr. Robinson. "We have been committed to providing publications and services that connect school, home and the world, fostering learning and technology literacy for all students. We are pleased to be working with the prestigious New York Times to create this exciting, engaging vehicle which will inspire critical thinking about issues that students want to know more about and to be serving the often overlooked teen market. The New York Times Upfront is a bold, meaningful publication with value for students not only in the classroom, but also at home and online."

The premier issue of The New York Times Upfront will be published in April 1999, and beginning in September, the magazine will be published every two weeks, with online updates, throughout the school year (18 issues, September to May). The annual subscription rate is $19.95 with a lower rate for multi-copy classroom subscriptions.

The target circulation for The New York Times Upfront is 300,000 next year with an estimated readership of one million. The New York Times Upfront will offer advertisers a unique and highly desirable teen audience. The magazine will replace Scholastic Update magazine, itself a re-launch of Senior Scholastic, the company's first magazine started in 1920 to bring current events into the classroom.