Alaska Finally Getting Local Edition Of TV Guide

TV Guide, the weekly television magazine that debuted in 1953 with Desi Arnaz IV on the cover, is coming to Alaska.

On Monday, a special Anchorage-Fairbanks edition will be available on local newsstands and through subscription, making Alaska the last state to get the nation’s largest-circulation weekly magazine. TV Guide features television program listings, in addition to profiles and interviews with TV personalities and stars, news about the industry, columns and reviews.

Hawaii was the most recent state served by TV Guide, getting its first edition 29 years ago.

Jack Curry, TV Guide’s managing editor, said part of the wait was due to fine-tuning its 166 other editions, solving transportation and timely delivery issues for Alaska, and catching up with changes in the cable industry.

“We’ve spent an enormous amount of activity in the last 10 years just getting the magazine up and running with the cable explosion,” Curry said, speaking from his office in New York.

Despite the lack of a local edition, Curry said, 740 Alaska households currently subscribe to the magazine. Total circulation is 13 million.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Scripps-McClatchy Western Service