FEATURES: Readers snap up list-laden issues

<p>In the absence of dramatic, cliff-hanging events, the hype </p><p>surrounding the arrival of 2000 failed to translate into huge sale </p><p>increases for regional titles. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Instead issues that carried lists and rankings proved to be the most </p><p>popular among Asian magazine readers last year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Now in the midst of a redesign, Asiaweek scored a 77.7 per cent jump in </p><p>newsstand sales to 11,942 copies for its August 18 issue, headlined </p><p>"Asia's Best". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The issue to mark the title's 25th anniversary also reported a 51 per </p><p>cent increase in advertising sales with a gross revenue of USdollars </p><p>909,000. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Economist's best-selling issue was the Millennium Special Edition, </p><p>which benefited from increased promotional activities and extension of </p><p>the issue sale period at newsstands. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The issue carried extensive reviews from the past 1,000 years and was </p><p>released across the region from December 23 1999 to January 7, 2000. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This issue garnered a 46 per cent rise in newsstand sales to 117,171 </p><p>copies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"An Asian Journey", Time's August 21 issue, reaped a 32 per cent hike in </p><p>newsstand sales to 32,631 copies, helped by extensive promotions and </p><p>public relations campaigns as well as coverage on CNN. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This double summer issue featured photo essays and personal anecdotes on </p><p>Asian destinations visited by Time's journalists, covering 12,000 km </p><p>from Sapporo, Japan to Surabaya, Indonesia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Advertising revenue for this issue jumped 25 per cent, earning a gross </p><p>income of almost USdollars 1.5 million. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Business Week's July 10 issue, "Global 1000", recorded a 20 per cent </p><p>jump in newsstand sales to 9,256 copies. The issue reported on the </p><p>world's most valuable companies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Far East Economic Review's December 28 issue, "Review 200 Asia's Leading </p><p>Companies", lifted newsstand sales 25 per cent to 120,000 copies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Forbes' special profiles of the world's billionairies in the July 3 </p><p>issue, "The World's Billionaires", boosted newsstand sales to 17,868 </p><p>copies, up 91 per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Fortune's July 24 issue featuring the world's largest 500 corporations, </p><p>titled "Global 500" lifted newsstand sales across the region 30.4 per </p><p>cent to 9,289 copies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Global 500 issue also saw a 51 per cent jump in advertising revenue </p><p>to USdollars 880,000 and it was Fortune's fifth-ranked issue in terms of </p><p>revenue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The US presidential race drew Asian readers' attention with Newsweek's </p><p>December 25 issue, "President Bush", jumping 28 per cent in newsstand </p><p>sales. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Chinese readers paid more attention to controversial and investigative </p><p>stories - Yazhou Zhoukan's January 23 issue, "The enigma of Karmapa </p><p>Lama's fleeing and the possible role by CIA", recorded a 25 per cent </p><p>hike in newsstand sales. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As an investigative coverage on Karmapa Lama's flight from Tibet, the </p><p>issue earned advertising revenues of USdollars 126,846. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>