Regent Media Completes Acquisition of PlanetOut’s Magazine, Online and Book Publishing Businesses

Filed Under Books & Mags, Gay Business, Gay Marketing | August 25th, 2008 

Regent Media Business News(Los Angeles, CA) — Stephen P. Jarchow and Paul Colichman, Chairman and President of Regent Media, announced their company has completed the acquisition of PlanetOut’s publishing properties.

The properties include PlanetOut’s two flagship brands: The Advocate, the world’s leading LGBT news source, and Out, the world’s leading LGBT fashion and style source. Additionally, Regent Media purchased The Out Traveler, the world’s leading LGBT travel source, and Alyson Books, the world’s leading LGBT book publisher. The brand’s corresponding web properties – advocate.com, out.com, outtraveler.com and Alyson.com – were also included in Regent Media’s acquisition.

“Regent Media now owns the best-known and most respected brands in the gay and lesbian marketplace. Our brands signify the highest quality content for the LGBT community via television, magazines, books and the web,” said Jarchow and Colichman. “These seminal properties will continue to document and to enrich the culture and history of our nation.”

The Regent Media brands now include: here! Networks, heretv.com, here! Films, here! Home Entertainment, here! Tunes, The Advocate, advocate.com, Out, out.com, The Out Traveler, outtraveler.com, HIV Plus, hivplusmag.com, Alyson Books, alyson.com and Gaywired Media, which encompasses entertainment and lifestyle sites gaywired.com, shewired.com and gaysports.com.

As part of the ongoing re-launch of advocate.com, The Advocate news team will cover the Democratic National Convention (DNC) with its inaugural video news broadcasts. Advocate.com’s DNC news team includes veteran broadcast journalist James Hattori, as well as The Advocate news editors Kerry Eleveld and Sean Kennedy. Hattori is best known for his work as a senior correspondent with CBS, NBC and CNN.

“Advocate.com will proudly provide a unique perspective on the events of the DNC,” said Jon Barrett, Editor in Chief of The Advocate and advocate.com. “No other organization can serve our community with such an extraordinary level of resources and experience. Simply put, we are the best team in gay news.”

Colichman and Jarchow jointly supervise the various divisions of Regent Media. Through their companies they have produced such films as the Academy Award-winning Gods & Monsters and Academy Award-nominated Tom & Viv. Their original television series include the entire here! production slate: Dante’s Cove, Paradise Falls, The Lair, The Donald Strachey Mysteries, The DL Chronicles and the annual Ribbon of Hope Celebration.

Source: Regent Media