Family Pulse set to debut after Washoe Family split

Family Pulse magazine debuts March 1 with a print run of 20,000, of which 18,000 will be targeted to middle- and upper income Washoe County households with children aged 4 to 18.

Co-published by Jackie Shelton and Joe Hansen, who also publish RLife, Family Pulse employs two, plus a staff of independent contractors and writers.

Shelton previously was associate publisher at Washoe Family for two years.

"It was incredibly rewarding doing that magazine," she says, adding that she left Washoe Family taking the staff with her after a difference of opinion with its publisher, Bert Ramos.

Ramos has hired a new staff to continue publication of Washoe Family. Family Pulse will cover schools in a straightforward, non-judgmental fashion, Shelton says.

A sample of the economic slant planned for articles: "Keeping up with the Jetsons." It deals with the dilemma of kids' constant demands for the latest in cell phones. "It will help parents deal with the trap of constantly upgrading," she says.

Meanwhile, Washoe Family will continue to print 38,000 copies monthly, 29,000 mailed to the homes of students and employees of Washoe County School District.

The district's contract extends to December with We Care About Kids, the non-profit parent company of Washoe Family.

Ramos has hired a new staff: Associate Publisher Patti Melton, Executive Editor Wayne Melton and Art Director Margie Enlow. The publication will add a Latin section later this year, says Patti Melton.