LIFE, the venerable photojournalism magazine that was closed down earlier this year, is all set for a new life on the Web. LIFE.com will be jointly owned and operated by Time Inc and Getty Images, and will provide access to the most comprehensive iconic and professional photography collections available anywhere online.
Andy Blau, president of LIFE and SVP of Time Inc Interactive, and Catherine Gluckstein, vice president of iStockphoto and Consumer Markets at Getty Images, will serve as CEO and CFO, respectively.
Time Inc had shut down LIFE magazine in April this year -- the third time it had done so. It had last been resuscitated in late 2004 as a newspaper supplement. LIFE had been carried in 103 newspapers, and competed in the weekly newspaper supplement business with Parade, owned by Advance Publications Inc, and Gannett Co’s USA Weekend. Originally launched in 1936 as a weekly, LIFE was suspended from regular publication in 1972 and brought back as a monthly in 1978. It was suspended again in 2000, then brought back as a newspaper supplement in 2004.
"LIFE.com brings together the two most-recognised brands in photography, making the defining images of our times even more accessible to people everywhere," said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images. "We are thrilled to partner with Time Inc. on the launch of this exciting new venture."
LIFE.com will offer access to thousands of new photographs from Getty Images' awardwinning photographers, including today's news, entertainment, sports, celebrities, travel, animals and many others. Consumers will also have access to millions of images from LIFE magazine, many of which have never been seen by the public.
The collection contains the historic photos that LIFE published through the decades, in addition to many never-before-seen pictures of Hollywood stars, sports heroes, important people and events from the '30s though the '90s. Getty Images will be providing the majority of images at launch from its comprehensive archival and current collections. More than 3,000 new images will be uploaded daily from Getty Images.
"Image search is the fastest-growing type of online search, and LIFE.com will satisfy the public's desire for quality and relevant imagery through a visually pleasing and easy-to-browse website," says Blau. "Only three percent of the LIFE archive has been seen by the public," says LIFE.com editor Bill Shapiro. "This site will put everything on display. You'll be able to look at the biggest events of yesterday and the stories making news today with just a couple of clicks."
The new site, which was designed with Getty Images' technology, will be easy-to-use and navigate. When the site launches in early 2009, consumers will be able to interact intimately with imagery, including printing select photos, sharing photos with friends and family, playing the popular LIFE Picture Puzzle, creating collections of photos around special interests and purchasing photo albums of user-made collections. Through the site, consumers can view the photos the world is talking about by searching for recently added photos or viewing photos by topic. Searching for and viewing images on the site will be absolutely free.
