The women’s magazine that most major publishing companies wish they could start is a big magazine for women in their 30s. But not another celebrity magazine like the ones they are now reading: The median age for readers of Us, the celebazine whose circulation is still skyrocketing, is 31. And not yet another shopping magazine: Shopping magazines such as Lucky, Shop Etc., and Domino in the past few years have also captured the interest of women in this age group. Rather, publishers are seeking to create a more multifaceted magazine that reflects women more fully. This demographic of women, who have money to spend and many reasons to spend it on themselves and others, is of particular appeal to advertisers.

Once, a couple of decades back, women this age tended to be wives and mothers and read Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, and the other traditional women’s service magazines. But now the readers of what was once called “The Seven Sisters” – which have now been reduced to six since the demise of Rosie, the magazine formerly known as McCall’s – tend to be in their late 40s, or even early 50s. Advertisers who are interested in selling products to busy moms know that there are rarely young children in their homes. Even Redbook, the younger sister in this group, which claims it is for “married girls in their 30s,” in reality, has a readership median age of 43.

The trouble is, the attempts that have been made to start a magazine for women in this age group have not worked out so far. Lifetime, which Hearst launched with the Lifetime cable television channel, folded last year. Organic Style, which was published by Rodale to appeal to a “psychographic” interested in natural living that supposedly included many women in their 30s, closed abruptly last month. Even some magazines that have been very successful, such as Hearst’s O: The Oprah Magazine and Time Inc.’s Real Simple, end up appealing more to women in their 40s than to this elusive group.

“It is very difficult to edit a magazine for women in their 30s,” said Sally Koslow, the launch editor of Lifetime who also edited McCall’s. “Some women in their 30s are married. Some are single. Some are just finishing school. Some have big jobs. Some are having their third child and some are just wondering if they can wait a few more years to have their first. It is the decade when women can be most different from one another.”

Jeannie Pyun, the former editor of Organic Style, agreed: “This is a very diffuse group. There are the last remnants of Generation X plus women who are Generation Y. They have different attitudes as well as different lifestyles.” And, she added, “It is also a crowded magazine field. Remember, there are always the big ones, Cosmo and Glamour.” Though these two magazines are aimed at women in their 20s, they do have older readers still focused on their appearance and getting a man, the subjects these magazines primarily cover.

Still, some companies are looking at the possibility of creating a magazine that could have mass appeal in this age 305 1356 412 1367group. Wenner Media, which turned around Us magazine so successfully, has reportedly been planning a weekly that would be a one-stop read for these busy women. It would include stories about real-life experiences and blend elements of Real Simple, Lucky, and celebrity magazines. Janice Min, the editor of Us, who recently signed a new contract for a million-dollar salary, would possibly oversee the development of such a magazine. A spokesman from Wenner said, “That was talked about a lot during Janice’s contract negotiations. Not much has been said about it lately.”

Bauer Publishing publishes In Touch, the spirited competitor to Us, as well as the service magazines Woman’s World and First for Women, has also been planning a magazine that would mix food and fashion features with celebrity coverage. Martha Stewart Omnimedia, along with its many other projects, is also working on a women-in-their-30s prototype.

Creative editors have expressed interest in taking on such a challenge. Jane Pratt, the former editor of Jane, is supposedly shopping the idea for a magazine for women 35 and up that would be called Elizabeth – her middle name. At one time, Bonnie Fuller, the editorial director of American Media, also prepared a dummy for a magazine that would appeal to women in this age group, which she felt was underrepresented in publishing. And Elizabeth Spiers, the editor in chief of Mediabistro, says she would like to develop such a magazine “at some point.” But, she said, “it wouldn’t look like any of the magazines on the market. I hate most of the existing women’s mags.”

Publishing companies continue to launch magazines with this woman in mind but try to appeal to her through a more focused interest. A couple of months back, Hearst launched Quick & Simple, a service weekly for women in their 30s that is short on text and heavy on how-to captions and photos, which the editor, Susan Toepfer, said owed a lot to the Internet style of providing information. This week, Rodale launched Women’s Health, which it also says is aimed at women in their 20s and 30s.The editor, Tina Johnson, who previously worked at People and Teen People, said, “This is for the Title IX generation, women who grew up living a healthy lifestyle. The magazine is rooted in health, but we want to hit all the notes and give it a broader appeal. What surprised us was we thought our readers would be single, but we found many are married or in a committed relationship.”

Next up is a couple of magazines for moms in their 30s. Fairchild Publication will launch Cookie in November – a magazine for affluent parents that will cover travel, fashion, and home with a 300,000 rate base. Wondertime – to be published by Disney – is less about shopping and more about the learning and development of children under 6. It has a rate base of 300,000 and will be out in February.

There are lots of new niche magazines for this oh-so-appealing group, but for the time being, while budgets are tight, no one is yet up to a bigger challenge.

mblyth@nysun.com