Mancubist’s unofficial blog-twin, The Manchizzle, points to some big media news that emerged yesterday: the launch of Time Out magazines for Manchester and Liverpool in February 2007.

Here’s what The Independent says of the Time Out franchise founder, Tony Elliott:

“His interest in Manchester took off last year after the Guardian Media Group took the decision to close down the city’s much-loved and well-established listings magazine City Life.”

“There’s one potential hitch to the venture. ‘Frankly, we need to raise about a million pounds to make sure it’s got proper finance and can happily have at least a three-year window to make it work. We would like to find somebody who wanted to be our financial partner.’”

I’ll give the Bank Manager a call then…

Interestingly, Elliott goes on to talk about Time Out’s web service:

“It’s a database that you dip in and out of, whereas with a magazine you get a whole package. That also goes to the heart of why I don’t think sales of the magazine will drop dramatically.”

He has a very good point.

Though the article is sadly lacking in detail about the two potential launches, it’s good news indeed for anyone desperate to know what’s happening in their city.

Let’s just hope Time Out in the North West, which was launched by Elliott and Jeremy Beadle (no, seriously) in 1970s but folded after just nine issues, doesn’t prove to be any kind of omen:

“Beadle’s original suggestion was to do Time Out in Brighton, but that didn’t happen. Then we tried Time Out in the North West. That was a dire concept. As I recall it was originally going to be Time Out in Liverpool, then somebody said ‘Bloody hell, Manchester’s only twelve miles from Liverpool or however far it is, so why don’t we do it for both’.”

UPDATE: From the Press Gazette:

“A one-off publication, planned for mid-September and edited by Mirror columnist and former Loaded journalist Bill Borrows will be the company’s first foray into Manchester, timed to coincide with the Labour Party Conference.”