Talk (magazine)

Talk was an American magazine, published from 1999 to 2002. It gained notoriety for its celebrity profiles and interviews,^[2][3] The magazine was a joint venture of Miramax's Talk Media, which was in charge of advertising sales, editorial content, and marketing, and Hearst Magazines, which managed printing, circulation, newsstand distribution, and subscription fulfillment.^[4]

Talk

Editor	Tina Brown
Total circulation (2002)	670,000[1]
Founder	Tina Brown[2]
Founded	July 1998; 27 years ago (1998-07)
First issue	September 1999; 25 years ago (1999-09)
Final issue	February 2002; 23 years ago (2002-02)
Company	Talk Media (Miramax) Hearst Magazines (Hearst)
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	talkmagazine.com (defunct)

History and profile

Talk Media was founded in July 1998 by Miramax Films, former New Yorker editor Tina Brown and Ron Galotti to publish books, the Talk magazine and to produce television programs. Talk Media formed a joint venture with Hearst Magazines for the magazine only in February 1999.^[4]

The first issue of Talk appeared in September 1999.^[2] The cover story of the debut issue was an interview with Hillary Clinton, which took place shortly after the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, in which she explained that her husband Bill Clinton had a chronic need to please women. The Washington Post reported that at times, "Talk seemed more interested in promoting such Miramax stars as Gwyneth Paltrow than in politics."^[1]

The magazine never became a commercial success, and its publication was suspended after the final February 2002 issue.^[5][6] Politico estimated that Brown had "bombed through some US$50 million in 2 1/2 years" on the failed venture. A $1 million contract settlement in 2002 ended Brown's involvement in Talk Media.^[7]