Can a new high-end title survive in a crowded market, particularly when the net is flooded with techy blogs, asks Bobbie JohnsonEconomic turmoil, a lifeless advertising market and print publications folding across the industry - it is a strange time to launch a magazine. Even more so when you consider that the title's first UK outing was less than successful. But the new UK edition of technology magazine Wired will hit the shelves on 2 April, 14 years after its first experiment with a British version. That failed in spectacular fashion when a joint venture between the magazine's American backers (Wired Ventures, which sold it to Condé Nast in 1998) and the Guardian Media Group, the organisation that owns this newspaper, went sour. So what is different this time? And why is Condé Nast looking to relaunch Wired UK now?"The economic situation has clearly made it more difficult, but we take a long-term view with our titles," says Albert Read, Condé Nast's general manager. "We launch magazines that we hope will be around for many years to come - way beyond the current economic cycle." But while the theory seems sound enough - create a smart British spin on the classic technology magazine that can tap into a seam of switched-on readers who can, in turn, appeal to high-spending advertisers - the reality could be rather different. Luxury brands, the car industry and the hi-tech market - all Wired's target advertisers - have been hit by the downturn in circumstances echoed throughout the magazine industry. At Condé Nast's global nerve centre in New York, for instance, advertising is withering away - down 30% already, year on year. But the American edition of Wired has suffered even more heavily than its stablemates. While influential, it has never been a massive money-spinner, and one estimate suggests it has seen a 57% drop in advertising on a circulation of around 500,000 copies.More ...