Time Inc.

New York, NY (August 25, 2009) – Time Inc.’s Cooking Light, the #1 epicurean brand with the largest audience, the most epicurean editorial and the most recipes, unveils a major redesign with its September 2009 issue. Modern, colorful and easy-to-follow, the new look enhances the magazine’s readability and relevance and highlights the brand’s unique point of view: that healthy can and does taste great. The issue hits newsstands on August 25th.

At a time when Americans are eating at home more often and today’s time-pressed women are needing extra help to prepare meals that are healthy as well as quick and easy, Cooking Light shows them how to do it without forfeiting flavor.

The U.S. is at an important point in the evolution of healthy eating, according to Scott Mowbray, Time Inc.’s Lifestyle Division executive editor who oversaw the redevelopment. “Readers don’t question that delicious food can and should be healthy. All the emphasis on fresh, local and sustainable food reinforces this. However, what they want is to have that goal made easy and practical for everyday life. The whole organization and look of the magazine now supports that.”

A photo accompanies every recipe in the magazine and the popular monthly franchise “Dinner Tonight” now includes a complete menu and shopping list to make meal preparation even easier. “SuperFast” a feature brought back by reader demand covers healthy and delicious dishes that can be made in only 20 minutes. The front-of-book also includes a recipe index coded with such helpful icons as “freezable,” “kid friendly,” “quick and easy” and “make-ahead.” A new emphasis on beautiful food photography is supported by the introduction of better, whiter paper stock.

“The changes in the magazine are all designed to build confidence and expertise in the kitchen,” said Editor in Chief Mary Kay Culpepper. “The look is cleaner and easier to navigate and we are featuring many more budget-friendly stories and recipes that are not only nutritious but that are also quick to prepare. New franchises such as ‘Nutrition Made Easy,’ ‘Cooking Class’ and ‘Enlightened Cook’ have been created to inspire women to approach cooking with excitement, creativity and experimentation.”

“When I was envisioning the new look of Cooking Light, I saw it as a joyride through the world of healthy eating. Delightfully easy, smart and stimulating to the senses,” says Carla Frank, the designer who created the new Cooking Light and was previously the creative director of O, The Oprah Magazine. “I want the reader to feel inspired, informed and have fun all at once. The energy of this magazine should call the reader to action — to devour it — with gusto!”

The editorial staff also have a larger presence in the magazine with the new “Ask Our Dietitian” column written by Cooking Light Associate Food Editor Kathy Kitchens Downie and “The Editor’s Dozen” comprising a mix of the staff’s favorite new products every month.

New advertisers in the September issue include Kraft Crackerfuls, Chevy Equinox and Home Depot.

About Cooking Light

Cooking Light is the nation’s number one epicurean brand with the largest audience; most epicurean editorial and the most recipes. Founded in 1987, Cooking Light makes healthy food taste great. Each month, nearly 12 million readers turn to Cooking Light and cookinglight.com for innovative recipes; nutrition advice and food and fitness tips. Cooking Light is published by a subsidiary of Birmingham, Alabama-based Southern Progress Corporation.