The memory of Elvis Presley lives on, and TV Guide is honoring the celebrated musician with a special four-cover edition, which hits newsstands today.
The special edition cover of the May 8 issue includes four photos depicting Presley during his career and includes a mini CD with a recording of the never-before released Young and Beautiful from Jailhouse Rock. The covers debut during “Elvis Week” on CBS. The network will air the mini-series Elvis on May 8 and 11, and the special Elvis By The Presleys, which airs May 13.
The special edition cover follows a promotion TV Guide ran nearly a year ago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the King’s first recording, which doubled sales for TV Guide. This year, the magazine is looking for repeat results.
“The overall goal is to boost newsstand sales tied into major TV event,” said Lauren Ruotolo, marketing supervisor for TV Guide Publishing Group. “Elvis fans will collect just about anything with his name and likeness on it. This year, we made the collectability even greater. We’re hoping for another huge home run here.”
TV Guide is producing 1 million copies of the special edition covers, which will sell for $2.99. Subscribers won’t be left in the cold. Consumers with a TV Guide subscription can log on to TVguide.com/elvis and enter their account number to receive the CD while supplies last. TV Guide is offering collectors 16 different variations of Elvis photos. Each CD contains exclusive Elvis photographs.
“Elvis and TV Guide, they are two American icons,” Ruotolo said “They are a perfect fit.”
To generate more interest around the special addition, TV Guide on Tuesday launched the All Shook Up Rebel Sweepstakes, which offers a grand-prize winner two tickets to see the Broadway production of All Shook Up, dinner at Planet Hollywood and hotel accommodations at Hilton in New York. Twenty first-prizes include copies of the All Shook Up Broadway CD. The winner will be selected at random on May 26.
Consumers can enter by visiting TVguide.com/allshookup. The sweeps is open to consumers 18 and older and runs through May 24. Internet materials support. New York-based Fusebox handles.
Leading up to the launch of the May 8 issue, TV Guide and CBS’ The Early Show kicked off the Discover Elvis sweepstakes which sent one winner and a friend to Memphis to visit a famous Graceland archive, interview one of Elvis’ lifelong friends, and serve as a guest DJ to host an hour of music on Elvis Radio from Sirius Graceland Studios, a 24-hour all Elvis radio station on Sirius satellite radio. The sweepstakes winner, Annette Dallas of Mesa, AZ, was slated to appear today on The Early Show to discuss her experience.
Discover Elvis was TV Guide’s largest sweepstakes to date with 15,000 entries in six days, Ruotolo said.
TV Guide partnered with BMG, Elvis Presley Enterprises, The Early Show and Sirius Satellite Radio for the promotion.
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