The template

Jean-Marie Colombani, ex-director of French newspaper Le Monde, is launching a France-based online magazine modeled after Slate.com.

Microsoft launched Slate — now a Washington Post property — in 1996. Best known for its irreverent political editorials, it parented a business news spin-off, The Big Money, in fall 2008.

Colombani suggested his online magazine would take vestiges of Slate and apply them to French audiences. The site's launch date was set for January 17, but was pushed back due to funding issues.

Of which lack of funding may not be one. The site has at least three investors: Eric Leser, ex-director of Le Monde/New York; Johan Hufnagel, ex-editor-in-chief of 20minutes.fr; and Eric Le Boucher, current editor-in-chief of Enjeux Les Echoes.

In an economy that stained the online publishing market with myriad layoffs and reorgs, it's foolhardy to bank on the success of a new content offering. But, Colombani and his maverick crew of editors-cum-investors aside, one other print media refugee has attempted the task. Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair, launched web rag The Daily Beast in October 2008.

The site is funded by InterActive Corp., though Brown admitted she "has much riding" its success. On the question of her (lack of) experience in the web publishing arena, the ballsy editor quipped, "I'm not completely sure how a printing press works, but that never stopped me."