Reality Weekly Names Victoria Gotti Editor-in-Chief at Large

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- David J. Pecker, President, Chairman and CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI) today announced that Victoria Gotti has been named Editor-in-Chief at Large of Reality Weekly, the first weekly magazine devoted exclusively to the hottest reality shows on TV and their stars.

The weekly celebrity magazine will feature glossy pages splashed with photos of reality TV's biggest stars with news, recaps, tidbits, and inside scoops, including an exclusive column penned each week by celebrity aficionado, Ms. Gotti, beginning with the first issue of the magazine, on sale January 2nd.

The weekly column, "Victoria Gotti," with the tag line "It takes a real star, to get the best scoop!," will cover all things reality, beginning with a page dedicated to two of the genre's biggest stars, Donald Trump ("The Apprentice") and Teresa Guidice ("The Real Housewives of New Jersey").  In addition to Gotti's weekly column, each issue of Reality Weekly will include a rotation of other star-studded contributors, including Simon Cowell ("The X-Factor") and Ryan Seacrest ("American Idol").

Ms. Gotti is a reality star in her own right. For 56 episodes, she had her own reality series on A&E, "Growing Up Gotti," that featured her three sons. She is currently working on another reality series.

Ms. Gotti, the author of five novels, including "The Senator's Daughter" and "The Fifth Avenue Club," was a celebrity columnist at the New York Post for three years as well as an executive Editor-at-Large at Star magazine, where she was also a columnist. She is the author of the cookbook, "Hot Italian Dish" and is working on a sequel as well as a sixth novel. Ms. Gotti has also written a book on heart disease, "Women and Mitral Valve Prolapse: A Comprehensive Guide to Living and Coping with M.V.P., and her memoir titled "This Family of Mine."

"We're thrilled to have Victoria working with AMI on our newest celebrity brand," said Mr. Pecker. "Her talent is perfectly suited for Reality Weekly. As author, reality star, and veteran celebrity columnist, she has the sources and knowledge to give the inside story on who and what interests our readers."

Ms. Gotti said, "Television today is completely saturated with all things reality. These shows have taken over the television line-up and audiences love immersing themselves in it—it's become one of their guilty pleasures. I believe the content, creative people and enormously successful company behind Reality Weekly is a win-win combination at the newsstands, with subscribers and the public in general—and I couldn't be happier to be a part of it."

Editor-in-Chief, Richard Spencer added, "We will be the go-to authority on everything reality and are delighted to have Victoria, who lives and breathes this medium, on board. Victoria is already connected to the top celebrities in the industry and will use her relationships to give Reality Weekly the inside scoop on the story behind the story.  She's fun, she's real and best of all—she's in the know!"

Ms. Gotti will begin her duty as Editor-in-Chief at Large today and will work directly with Mr. Spencer.

About American Media, Inc.

American Media, Inc. owns and operates the leading print and digital celebrity and health and fitness media brands in the United States. AMI's titles include Star, OK!, National Enquirer, Globe, Soap Opera Digest, Soap Opera Weekly, Pixie, Shape, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Fit Pregnancy and Natural Health. AMI also manages 18 different digital sites including RadarOnline.com, OKmagazine.com, Shape.com, MensFitness.com, MuscleandFitness.com and FitPregnancy.com. AMI's magazines have a combined total circulation of almost 7 million and reach more than 55 million men and women each month. AMI's digital properties reach an average of 10 million unique visitors and 80 million page views monthly.

AMI also operates a Publishing Services business unit which includes Distribution Services, Inc. (DSI), the No. 1 in-store magazine sales and merchandising marketing company in the U.S. and Canada. DSI places and monitors AMI's publications and third-party publications to ensure proper displays in major retail chains and national and regional supermarket chains. DSI also provides marketing, merchandising and information gathering services to third parties including non-magazine clients. Publishing Services also provides print and digital advertising sales and strategic management direction in the following areas: manufacturing, subscription circulation, logistics, event marketing and full back office financial functions.  Playboy is one of many publishers who have taken advantage of these additional services. 

SOURCE American Media, Inc.