ZERO Latin America

Some interesting gay-themed publishing news, although details remain somewhat sketchy.

Spain's ZERO magazine, one of the better gay-themed publications in the world released it's it's 100th issue over the weekend.

Reportedly the cover has a metallic silver look and reflects the reader's image, a stunt reminiscent of the much-ridiculed Time magazine 2006 "Man of the Year" issue which chose "You" as the cover person. EFE also says that for the special issue, ZERO is running a gallery of new photos of people that might have graced their cover in the past (although I doubt it will include Reverend José Mantero who shocked the world when he came out as an openly gay Catholic priest on ZERO's cover but later criticized the editorial direction the magazine had taken).

I guess I'll wait for it in the mail but that's not necessarily what caught my attention.

The most interesting part of the EFE reports is that ZERO editor Miguel Ángel López also says that Grupo Zero Communications is considering a purchase bid from an unnamed North American organization who is ready to pay "various millions of Euros."

Even more interesting: The unnamed organization says that it intends to buy ZERO as a way to enter into the "international scene" with plans of launching a Latin American version of the magazine as well as open it up to "audiovisual media" (an international Spanish-language gay channel?).

All this is very exciting (hm, I'd be willing to work there) but few other details were offered. López would only say that a final decision on the sale of ZERO would not be taken until at least two weeks from the date of the original EFE report (Sept. 9).

If it does happen, I wonder what the impact will be on an array of small and mostly web-based "magazine" efforts in Latin American countries (including Mexico's Anodis and Enkidu, Argentina's AG Magazine, Peru's Diario de Lima Gay, Brazil MixBrasil and Chile's Gay Magazine among others). We'll keep you posted if there are any developments.