New twist for Amiga titles

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, June 15, 1995

One year after Commodore International and its Amiga computer went out of business, and just a few months after International Data Group shut down its AmigaWorld, the computer is set to make a comeback. But it appears unlikely that the magazine will attempt the same Lazarus-like feat.

The Amiga name was recently purchased by German company Escom AG from Commodore's creditors for between $11 million and $12 million. At this point, though, it's "unclear what Escom's strategy will be in the United States," notes Dale Strang, president of IDG's newly formed Active Media unit, which would handle any relaunch attempt.

Boston-based IDG still publishes the entertainment-oriented Amiga Computing in the United Kingdom. AmigaWorld subscriptions are being fulfilled with either Amiga Computing or Digital Video, a platform-independent publication with some Amiga coverage.

PiM Publications' Amazing Computing, the lone Amiga-centered title left this side of the Atlantic, stands to benefit from the computer's return. The Fall River, Massachusetts-based magazine slashed its ad rates almost in half - to $999 - to keep advertisers interested after AmigaWorld folded.