PUBLISHER'S DELUXE DEAL CURTCO. ACQUIRES MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO LIFESTYLES OF RICH.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

MALIBU - Adding to the expensive watches and flashy Harleys that he collects, Malibu publisher Bill Curtis has purchased luxury publication Robb Report. Terms of the deal, negotiated for six months and co-financed by venture capitalists TD Capital Communications Partners, were not disclosed. But the New York Post valued the deal at $25 million.

The 25-year-old magazine, headquartered in Massachusetts, will soon employ up to 150 workers at the Malibu office of Curtis' namesake company, CurtCo, who'll scour the world for the best cars, restaurants, stores and homes.

``There's plenty of reasons to be concerned with the economic slowdown that we're experiencing right now, but there's a group of people who don't want to feel guilty about their lifestyle,'' said Curtis, the 43-year-old president and chief executive officer of CurtCo. ``We feel very strongly that in the pages of Robb Report, it's a celebration of what their wealth can provide.''

According to Curtis, the average reader of the monthly magazine has a net worth of $3.5 million, with an annual income of $750,000. Robb boasts a circulation of 100,000, which translates into a whole lot of advertising dollars being pumped into the glossy pages, which pitch everything from fine pianos to $85,000 gold-lined safes.

Though the concept of buying a magazine that revolves around heedless consumerism in a time when most shoppers are watching their wallets seems unusual, Curtis said now is the perfect time.

``If you take a look at the luxury manufacturing and service market in an economic downturn, the middle class cannot afford to buy these things, but you know these companies are not going to go out of business,'' he said. ``They just have to focus their marketing dollars on the people who can afford them.''

And Robb's readers can certainly afford just about whatever they want. So when the magazine names the BMW Z8, with a sticker price of $128,570, as its car of the year, that's only a very small drop in a very large bucket. It also tackles such vitally important topics as where to buy one's own personal submarine and the best ski vacations - in France.

The extremely wealthy can keep indulging in this luxury with little regard for a sagging economy or flagging market.

``They're evergreen,'' said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. ``They may cut back a little, but that's not that much compared with most people. You keep your Rolls-Royce for three years instead of two.''

And, with the local scene as one of the world's largest markets for luxury cars and upscale toys, Kyser said, Curtis is making a wise decision to put Robb's staff into local offices. A new editorial office will also open in New York City.

Though he intends to keep Robb's focus the same, Curtis plans to expand its coverage to include more niches, such as specialty stereo, car and yacht reports. CurtCo's tackled these markets before, publishing high-end digests like Cellular Buyer's Guide, Home Theater Magazine and Portable Computing Shopper.

With his know-how and Robb Report's established, deep-pocketed readership, the new incarnation of the magazine is likely to succeed, according to Art Garcia, who follows the industry for Media Mark, an online trade journal.

``This isn't Pete 'n' Tilly's publishing company, with a couple of kids fooling around in the garage,'' he said. ``It's a big, sophisticated operation, and they probably know what they're doing here.''

ROBB RICHES

Bill Curtis has purchased luxury magazine Robb Report, which caters to the very wealthy.

Bill Curtis, President & CEO of CurtCo Media Labs

Age 43

Residence: Malibu

Hobbies: Motorcycles & watch collecting

Past Magazines: Private Theaters, Networked Home.

Robb Report: 100,000 monthly circulation

Offices: Malibu; Cambridge, Mass; New York City

Price: $7.99 per issue

Average Reader: $3.5 million net worth, $750,000 annual income

ROBB'S REPORTS

Among the news items and suggestions in recent Robb Report magazines:

``The sub(marine)'s price is a relatively affordable $20 million.''

``It's nearly impossible to have a bad meal in the French Alps.''

``Extravagant marriage proposals have become such a phenomenon that there's even a company in Massachusetts called Will You Marry Me? whose staff will arrange top-of-the-line marriage proposals for grooms who are long on cash but short on originality.''

``Own an offshore bank'' (headline in classifieds)

``But when the waiter brought out the familiar Baccarat decanter, I couldn't refuse a pouring of Louis XIII, Remy's flagship Cognac. This deeply complex and silky blend hasn't changed since its creation in 1830.''

``The very word casual carries with it the ring of the desultory, the unprofessional, and the second-rate.''

``For Kittredge, the process of buying a new megayacht began as soon as he started seeing the limitations of his first boat, a 142-footer that he purchased for $12 million and sold last year.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) no caption (Robb Report)

Daily News

(2) no caption (Bill Curtis)

Box: (1) ROBB RICHES (see text)

(2) ROBB'S REPORTS (see text)