News.blog: Bloggers and podcasters in print

You'd think that bloggers and podcasters would be happy with their respective media. After all, how much better can it be to have free worldwide distribution of whatever it is you want to say at any moment?

But if you think that's enough for them -- and hey, why not lump them all together in one large group? -- you'd be wrong. We know this because Larstan Publishing has just announced the launch of, well, Blogger & Podcaster magazine, a new monthly dedicated to chronicling the latest and greatest happenings, and the biggest names in blogging and podcasting.

"Believed to be the first publication to launch simultaneously in three distinct formats," according to a press release announcing the new venture, the magazine "promises to deliver news, features, tips and profiles written for, and by, those who want to use these thriving online media to leverage their voice and expand their businesses' opportunities".

The magazine, which features famous blogger and podcaster Robert Scoble on the cover, has a Web site, of course, on which most of its content will be available for free. And it also has a free podcast edition. Why anyone would pay $79 (£39) for a subscription to the print magazine is not entirely clear.

All told, however, it is aiming its sights at the more than 80,000 podcasters and 60 million bloggers it says industry estimates say there are.

Initially, the magazine will have a circulation of 20,000, but it expects to grow to 250,000 within a year. That's a lofty goal given that most magazines simply flop.

Regardless, given the content, we should all expect to soon be reading diatribes about the new publication, both in its pages and out on the Intarweb, from Dave Winer.