MUSINGS...The Magazine Explosion Does it ever seem to you like the magazine racks at airports and grocery stores are running out of shelf space? A recent edition of ADVERTISING AGE carried a story about a college professor who tracks magazines. He found that during the last 15 years, there have been 10,201 new magazines launched! What intrigued me about this study was not so much the number of magazines but their subject matter and what it says about the interests of people and influences that are reshaping our culture. The top five subject matter categories were sports (954), sex (912), crafts, games, hobbies and models (750), special interests (674) and celebrities (594). Most notable launches of the last 15 years were COOKING LIGHT, ELLE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, FAST COMPANY, GEORGE, IN STYLE, MARTHA STEWART LIVING, MAXIM, MEN'S HEALTH and WIRED.