Press release
Tuesday 9th July
The weekly gay men’s publication Boyz has announced that it is moving to a new monthly frequency as its enters its 28th year of publication.
The gay scene and lifestyle magazine, first published on 4th July 1991, will be a 96 page publication with a glossy, heavier cover but remain – as it has always been – a free title distributed to its 55,000 readers through gay bars, clubs, shops and saunas, as well as the digital edition on the Boyz website.
The move follows a reduction in advertising from gay scene venues as bars and clubs have closed but an increase in advertising from theatres, film companies, book publishers, health services, shops and travel agencies.
These new advertising markets have increasingly sought a longer shelf life for Boyz beyond the ‘week’s readership’ and this has persuaded the owners of Boyz – long term gay couple David Bridle and Kelvin Sollis – to make the change to the monthly format and expand the title with a bigger pagination and glossier print.
Editorially, the monthly Boyz will also expand with new sections covering New Openings, Cabaret & Bars, Health & HIV, Theatre, Film, Sports & Hobbies, Shopping and Travel. Currently the 40 page weekly magazine can editorially only cover a fraction of these areas in each issue.
The Boyz website – which already receives 55,000 unique visitors a month – will be expanded to provide daily updates on bar and club news including dates for cabaret shows, updated weekly What’s On Listings plus regular photo updates from the Boyz photographers reporting from the gay scene. The new daily updated Boyz website will be edited and written by Boyz’s long term reporter and head writer Dave Cross.
The first edition of the new monthly Boyz will be published on Tuesday 23rd July 2019 and will be the August issue.
David Bridle, managing director of Boyz and editor for the new monthly edition, said:
“This is a big shift for our readers, advertisers and for the Boyz team itself, but we are convinced that this move will secure the long term future for Boyz and the Boyz brand.
“It combines the strengths of a physical print magazine which will be welcomed by our readers going out to venues across London and the UK but also by improving the Boyz website to keep people updated – between the monthly editions – about new nights and cabaret dates on the gay scene, we are harnessing the strengths of our digital service via the online Boyz website and listings and our social media updates on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. We also have our recently launched friendship website Beboyz based on shared hobbies, sports and interests.
“We will continue to put the gay scene at the heart of the new monthly Boyz including our annual Boyz Scene Awards which will be taking place in February 2020 in The Two Brewers in Clapham.
“The new monthly Boyz will be a true ‘take home’ coffee table-style magazine offering lots of interesting current interviews, articles and features, up to date stories from the gay scene, essential lifestyle and health advice & information and striking photography – and all without a cover price.”
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