Athlon Media said to be eyeing shuttered niche magazines

The magazine world may soon have a new media mogul in the mix.

Billionaire Spencer Hays, who made a fortune in bespoke suits, is getting ready to have his majority-owned Athlon Media Group snap up most of the magazines that Harris Publications suddenly shut down in late April, sources tell Media Ink.

The Nashville, Tenn-based Athlon, which itself was in dire financial straits several years ago, seems to be specializing in buying distressed publishing assets.

Two years ago Athlon snapped up Parade from the Newhouse family’s Advance Publications.

Parade was said to be losing $10 million a year.

Athlon made its name covering professional and college sports with annuals for baseball, football and basketball.

Hays’ fortune came from areas far removed from publishing. He owns Oxford Clothes and Tom James Clothiers among other companies.

His arrival is too late to help any of the Harris staffers, however. When the family-owned company shut its doors on April 29 after nearly 40 years, it laid off its 65 New York employees and gave them only 24 hours to clear out their desks.

The magazines Athlon is said to be buying from Harris include gun titles Rifle Firepower and Tactical Weapons, auto buff books Mopar Action and Rides, home and craft titles including Quilt, Romantic Country and Flea Market Style — and even an agricultural title, Potato Grower.

Harris earlier sold off Guitar World and the hip-hop title XXL.

The deal now being worked out, which could be announced within the week, will include rights to virtually the entire company portfolio — minus Naturally Danny Seo — which is said to be negotiating a separate deal with another company.

Neither Athlon CEO Chuck Allen nor Harris CFO Warren Sherman returned calls seeking comment.