You probably heard the news. We were all set to roll out our new, testosterone-oriented magazine, Pollstar.com For Men, when Wal-Mart announced that it would refuse to carry it in their stores across the nation, saying that it was no different than those other titillation mags such as Maxim, Stuff and FHM.

Needless to say, we were shocked, for we never considered headlines such as “My Night With The Tori Amos Itinerary,” and “The Ten Sexiest Amphitheatres” to be nothing more than a tease meant to grab a potential reader’s interest.

But the folks at Wal-Mart saw differently. Not only did they object to those headlines, but they also had problems with articles like “Size Does Matter” where we profiled some of the summer’s longest tours, including Vans Warped Tour and Dave Matthews Band, as well as our debut issue’s cover feature; “ZZ Top & The Horizontal Bop.” Clearly something had to be done.

But what? As everyone knows, Sam Walton’s glorious chain of discount stores can either make or break a new magazine, and Pollstar.com For Men desperately needed the exposure that only a primo position on the Wal-Mart magazine racks can give. But on the other hand, we didn’t want to sacrifice any of our male-oriented content, like “The Best Iron Maiden Tracks For Making Out,” or “Five Steps To Better Radiohead.”

So, we did what we do best. We groveled. Then we begged. Then we groveled and begged. And we came to an agreement with the suits from Wal-Mart. We could continue to list headlines such as “What Coeds Really Want From Vanilla Ice,” and special features like “My Threesome With Aerosmith / KISS,” and Wal-Mart would give us a prime, attention-getting position on its magazine racks. However, we did have to make one, small concession.

So, watch for the debut of Pollstar.com For Men, coming to a Wal-Mart near you. It will be easy to spot. Just look for the magazine wrapped in a brown paper bag placed in a position that you just can’t miss.

Right next to Cosmo.