Sports Illustrated Aims To Lure Women Readers

Sports Illustrated announced Monday that it will test a sports magazine for women in April as it tries to capitalize on growing interest in women’s sports.

The unnamed magazine, which carries the working title “Sports Illustrated Woman,” will be published twice in 1997. After that, it will be determined how often to publish in 1998, SI president Don Elliman said.

The magazine would target the socalled “Title IX Generation,” women 18-34, and will cover both the personalities and issues of women’s sports.

“The mission of this magazine is clear. We will be a magazine for women who love sports, about women who live sports,” said senior editor Sandy Bailey.

SI’s figures show that in the past five years, its female readership has grown by 15 percent to more than 5 million.

Plans call for the first issue to contain 100 pages using a heavier stock paper than SI. Initial distribution will include SI’s 450,000 current women subscribers as well as other selected women from the Time Warner database.