Emap 'winning men's magazine battle'

EMAP chief Tom Moloney today claimed the media group was 'definitely winning the battle of the men's magazines'.

He said Zoo, now just a year old, is running neck-and-neck with Nuts which launched at the same time, with each likely to show first annual ABC circulations of around 250,000.

The losers, he claimed, were the 'weaker men's monthlies', notably IPC's Loaded and Front from Highbury House.

'By contrast, we ensured that our monthlies - FHM and Arena - went into the battle strong and they have come through as winners,' he said.

Moloney is gearing up for another battle when Emap launches Grazia, a weekly glossy featuring glamour, gossip and lifestyle, next spring.

Produced under licence from its Italian publisher, Grazia will cost around £16m to launch and should break even in three years.

In radio, Emap's Magic station was the only one to increase its London breakfast audience.

First-half profits rose 2% to £96m on revenues up by 3% at £522m. The interim dividend goes up 5% to 8p.