Chapter 9: Magazines
Largest Magazines by Circulation (2014)
1. AARP The Magazine 2. AARP The Bulletin 3. Better Homes & Garden
Top Magazines By Revenue (2014)
1. People 2. Better Homes & Garden 3. Sports Illustrated
Development of Magazines
Arabic word, "makazin," or storehouse; mags were storehouses of info
Issues Addressed in Early Magazines
Taxation, Indian relations, Religious freedoms, Education, End of colonialism
• "Simple Pleasures":
singles & couples over the age of 65 living in modestly priced homes who are very likely to have served in the military; likely shop Target.
• "Young Digerati":
tech savvy singles & couples living in fashionable neighborhoods on the urban fringe; affluent, highly educated, ethnically mixed; most likely purchase Blackberry, wear Omega watches.
• "Urban Achievers":
young singles and couples, typically college-educated & ethnically diverse, who live on the coasts.
Post Civil War Years
• 1865, 700 magazines published; 1870, 1200; 1885, 3300 being published. • Women were the primary demographic audience. • Suffrage (women's rights) dominated the pages; "how-to" for homemakers also popular. • Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, etc.
British Magazines
• 1st English-speaking magazine in London, 1704, Daniel Defoe's Review • Tatler, founded by Sir Richard Steele, in 1709; reporters published essays based on coffeehouse conversations; Steele later helped Joseph Addison start The Spectator in 1711. • The Gentlemen's Magazine, founded by Edward Cave, 1st time the word "magazine" used; intelligent content, sophisticated distribution system; read throughout English-speaking world.
The Role of General Interest Mags
• 1st true national medium; national & affordable; helped unify the nation; the television of their time; the dominant advertising medium; primary source for national news; the preeminent provider of photo journalism • Ads had to appeal to as many as possible to make mag ad efficient. • TV ads appeared in1950s; marked end of general interest mags; Reader's Digest the exception.
American Almanacs
• A uniquely American contribution; offered useful & intriguing information, usually homespun • Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac was published from 1732 to 1757 (anecdotes, forecasts & country wisdom). • Company almanacs, like Armour's Farmer Almanac, advertised for the company's product; good public relations.
Marketing Magazines
• All media owners are concerned with their demographics, audience characteristics such as age, education, sex, income, geographic location, etc. • Mag publishers like to gather psychographic information, the values & lifestyles of their readers. • Psychographics take data that will help evaluate buying habits of readers to match with the mag's content & circulation.
The Early Magazine Industry
• Andrew Bradford's American Magazine (debuted in 1741; only 3 issues). • Ben Franklin's General Magazine (debuted only 3 days after Bradford's; 6 issues).
Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette
• Began as the successful newspaper that Franklin had purchased in Philadelphia; Franklin ran the paper for two decades. • In 1821, the paper changed its name to The Saturday Evening Post; circulation ultimately grew to 3 million copies. • Popular into the 20th century; all began with Franklin's successful newspaper.
The John Johnson Dynasty
• Born in Arkansas, fatherless at 8, moved to Chicago • Attended University of Chicago while working for a life insurance company; collected African-American news to compile a weekly digest • Interested in Life and Look; began Ebony in 1943; Jet in 1951; Ebony now boasts 12 readers/month; later added largest fashion show in the world, cosmetics, radio stations; died in 2005; family carries on the dynasty.
Slate.com
• Competitor of Salon, begun in 1996 by Microsoft (Seattle); the Washington Post purchased the publication in 2005. • Completely free, it has approximately 5 million visitors per month. • With no paper, ink & other costs of printing, measure of success different for online publications. • Now extremely respected in magazine world.
Magazine Adaptability
• Cosmo is an excellent example of adaptability • Founded in 1886 as a home magazine; later a leading muckraking magazine; later became a general women's magazine • Now a specialized women's mag for young, unmarried, working women, producing 50 worldwide editions/28 languages
TV Guide (1948)
• Created initially for New York viewers. • Later expanded to capitalize on the popularity of the new medium. • In '53, the 1st year after going national, boasted 1.5 million subscribers.
African-American Magazines
• David Ruggle's Mirror of Liberty, one of the 1st AA magazines in pre-Civil War • Insurance man John Johnson began Ebony in '45; later added Jet; now both may have to be sold. • Essence, Black Enterprise & others now thriving.
Salon.com
• David Talbot had to choose between staying at a traditional paper-based publication, or gamble on the convergence between magazines & the Net. • Opted for the latter & began Salon in 1995; took 4 top executives from the San Francisco Examiner with him; the first successful online mag. • Salon, now partnered with Rolling Stone • In '97, Salon began posting a new issue every weekday; traffic rose to 400,000 unique visitors per month. • Emphasis is on breaking news; Salon now draws 4.4 million upscale visitors a month; however, profit continues to be a problem.
Magazines & Their Audiences
• For people w/college, 94% read at least 1 magazine. • Typical reader/at least high school graduate; married; owns his own house; employed full-time; annual income of just under $40,000
Other Similar Magazines
• Formula refined when Life magazine appeared in 1936; Look in 1937 • Pictures replaced line drawings w/punchy captions & cutlines (info below photo) • General interest mags led as the national advertising vehicle of the day.
Time (1923)
• Founded by Henry Luce & Briton Hadden; reflects more of Luce's personal style (pushy, irreverent, smart-alecky). • Not the 1st periodical to present news of the week w/illustrations & commentary; Harper's Weekly & Literary Digest both did so earlier. • Was a turning point for modern newsweekly; news in capsule format, separated into departments such as 'The Nation," etc.; similar to USA Today. • People sprang up from "People" department • Began "Person of the Year" for the first issue every January in 1927 (Lindbergh the 1st) • Some selections have been extremely controversial (Hitler in 1938); some named twice; FDR only one to be named 3 times
Godey's Lady's Book
• Founded by Louis Godey in 1830 in Philadelphia; emphasis on fashion, using engraved, colored fashion drawings • Patterns were included to allow women to sew their own fashions; also included well-written stories & essays; some issues highlighted women authors exclusively; most successful prior to the Civil War; proved that women were a viable audience.
Esquire
• Founded in 1933 as 1st classy men's magazine; famous for pin-ups & its literary content; named because someone sent a letter to the owner, "Arnold Gingrich, Esq." • Other imitators arose to compete with Esquire, most notably Hefner, who left Esquire when a raise was refused, & Bob Guccione, who began Penthouse. • Turned 80 years old in 2013.
Time's Competitor, Newsweek
• Founded in 1933 by former Time foreign editor, Thomas J.C. Martyn; 1st issue was February 17, 1933 for a dime, subscription $4 annually. • Merged with The Daily Beast in 2010; ceased print publication on December 31, 2012; re-launched a print version on March 7, 2014.
Early State of the Industry
• Grew slowly at first; only 23 magazines founded between 1741 & 1783. • Picked up speed when the government established the Post Office as a permanent arm of the government in 1794. • Provided reliable way to distribute publications to audiences
Other Men's Magazines
• Guccione's Penthouse was a commercial success when it began in 1965; now several Penthouse editions available. • Other men magazines with different subjects such as Field & Stream, Popular Science, & Popular Mechanics arose.
Literary Magazines
• Harper's Monthly (1850; carried Charles Dickens' books) • Atlantic Monthly (1857) • Scribner's (1870-1881) • Century (succeeded Scribner's, 1887-1939) • Literary mags successful, but the mass audience mags take over at the end of the 1800s.
Men's Magazines
• In 1931, Apparel Arts founded as a men's fashion mag; meant to provide info on men's fashion to wholesale buyers & retail sellers so they could recommend to customers; fabric samples pasted on pages for $1.50 per copy • Publishers saw its popularity, so launched Esquire in 1933 for 50 cents a copy. • In 1958, Apparel Arts renamed to Gentlemen's Quarterly; sold in 1983 to Conde Nast; they simplified the name to GQ.
The Era of Specialization
• In 1956, Collier's declared bankruptcy; 1st mass circulation to cease publication • Television changed the relationship between magazines & their audiences. • Shift from general-interest to special-interest began with the television era; continues today. • Life ceased publication in 1972, warning parent company, Time, Inc., how much industry had changed.
Spanish Celebrity Magazine
• In late WWII, in the midst of Spanish fascism, Antonio Sanchez Gomez wanted to start a magazine; settled on 4-page, upbeat gossip mag. • ¡Hola! now sells over 600,000 copies typically; pulls more advertising than any other Spanish weekly; now a U.S. edition; skips scandals; glamorous but not balanced coverage; intentionally flattering.
Peterson's Magazine
• In the mid-1800s, yet another example of ways to experiment. • Another magazine for women; it included large fold-out illustrations of the latest dresses & gowns. • Each illustration individually hand-tinted to add color to the black-and-white publication. • Illustrations called fashion plates; term endures meaning one who wears the latest fashions.
Rolling Stone (1967)
• Jann Wenner, student at Univ. of California (Berkeley) in mid '60s; started music column at Daily Californian, focusing on his favorites: Dylan, Jagger, Beatles; later dropped out of college. • Nobody would print his work; on 21st birthday in '67, launched Rolling Stone. • Other mags aimed at youth, but not also about music; by sixth year ('73), it became profitable. • Became the voice for a new generation, not just flower children; circulation is more than 1.2 million; company worth $250 million (30,000 times the initial investment); he is now worth at least $100 million (pre-2009). • Not bad for college dropout with a $7,500 investment; publication size decreased in 2008.
The Rise of the "Seven Sisters"
• Magazines founded exclusively for women: o Good Housekeeping: 1st of the sisters; founded to fight for consumers o McCall's: 2nd; also had patterns; later reached out to more educated, affluent women. o Ladies Home Journal: 3rd founded; began as a farm mag w/some women's info o Redbook: still around, but not top-ranked o Better Homes and Gardens, Women's Day, Family Circle
People (1974)
• March, 1974, Time Inc. launched the first mass-market magazine in decades, based on "People" section in magazine. • Abundance of celebrity profiles & human interest stories, it showed a profit within two years; reached a circulation of more than two million within five years. • By the 2000s, People moved to the #1 spot in ad revenue (the most profitable), and it remains in the top spot to this day. • Still takes its cues from culture's fascination with celebrities; online version, People.com, devoted to celebrity news. • People is supported by photos, short articles, & 1/3 as many words as a typical newsmagazine; it has affected TV & print news. • 10/10/14 40th anniversary issue with Taylor Swift recreating the original cover of Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan; other recreations included. • Its best-selling issue ever was the September 12, 2001, when the publishers changed all the plans for the issue and redid the entire issue in 24 hours. • Princess Diana was on the cover more than anyone else over the years at 57; she and Duchess Kate will be featured in the edition, "Then and Now."
Martha Stewart Returns
• Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia began publishing a new lifestyle magazine in '06 called Blueprint; it ended in 2008. • Martha Stewart Weddings and Martha Stewart Living are now both in print.
Photojournalism
• Middle of 20th century saw rise in a special type of journalism: photojournalism (Henry Luce) • Life was the gold standard for more than 30 years; ended when Life & others ceased publication.
Colonial Magazine Summary
• Most in colonial times lasted only a few months. • By mid-1800s, readers could select from mags with proven records. • Most were literary periodicals. • Successful mags were published by book companies that used mags to build interest in forthcoming books by printing excerpts & carrying ads for upcoming books.
Muckraking Magazines
• Muckraker mags: more space for govt exposes & business wrongdoing; told stories in dramatic new way (cartoons, then drawings, then photos) • Early 20th century, McClure's had Ida Tarbell & Lincoln Steffens • Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper investigated milk-producing industry; led to industry regulation • Harper's Weekly, Nation, McClure's, Arena, Colliers • Ushered in mass circulation magazines.
Saturday Evening Post
• Name changed in 1821; 148 years later, 1969, closed • In late 1800s, served as a model for Collier's & McClure's. • Now a truly national advertising medium; family mag w/content accessible to everyone; fact & fiction, humorous & serious, down-to-earth feel, a quick read, Norman Rockwell & "Hazel"
New Yorker (1926)
• Once called "the best magazine that ever was." • Never carried news; lengthy personality profiles; no deadlines for reporters, no word limit, just good writing • Made history w/Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring;" sensitized to fragility of ecosystem
Playboy: Segmented
• One of the best examples of segmented marketing: one gender going to one age group, men, 18-30. • Begun by Hugh Marston Hefner at 27 in 1953 who remains Editor-in-Chief; daughter was chairman & CEO of Playboy Enterprises from 1988-2008. • Hefner learned the trade by working at Esquire; Playboy had a lustier tone; emphasized female nudity (capitalized on the sexual revolution), combined with literary pieces, in-depth interviews, investigative pieces and humor. • First issue featured young Hollywood actress, Marilyn Monroe; initially titled Stag, but the name was already taken; later changed to Playboy. • First issue was not numbered; Hefner was unsure the magazine would survive. • Best selling issue, November, 1972 (7+ million sold; 1st lady of the Internet, "Lenna"); largest issue, January, 1979 with 414 pages (25th anniversary).
Reader's Digest (1922)
• One of the few general interest mags to endure today; founders children of poor Presbyterian clergy; wanted upbeat, but not Pollyanna. • In 1947, became the 1st mag to exceed a circulation of 9 million. • Today, more than 90% is by subscription. • Miniature size format to be portable; refused advertising until 1955 (still no cigarette ads); also added newsstands then. • Advertisers pay more than $100,000 a page for color ads; promotional stickers boost sales.
Reasons for the Successful Mass Audience Mags
• Post Office (1794) provided way to distribute publications (still more expensive than newspapers) • Cheaper printing • Growing literacy • Spread of social movements (abolitionism & labor reform)
O Competitors
• Rosie took over the historic McCall's, mag begun in the late 1800s, bought by Rosie in 2001, ceased publication in late 2002. • It failed, perhaps because of split persona; personality on her show was not the persona in the magazine. • Rosie & Martha Stewart's legal problems caused problems for their magazines • Donald Trump's magazine debuted in January, 2008 (Trump World); died in 2009.
Split Runs
• Split run issues, in which editorial content & ads are aimed at demographics or regions, make magazines even more attractive. • Time, for example, has at least 8 regional editions, more than 50 state editions, and 8 professionally oriented editions.
3 Types of Circulation
• Subscription: about 87% of all sales are subscription (advantage of assured readership, but cheaper + postage). • Single-copy sales: some magazines, such as TV Guide, rely on these (less reliable but better barometer of who values). • Controlled circulation: providing at no cost to those who meet criteria (airline mags).
Oprah Winfrey's O
• The glossy, self-titled mag is produced in partnership with Hearst Magazines; simply print version of her on-air program. • After just 7 issues, the most successful magazine start-up in publishing history. • Celebrated its 9th anniversary in May '09; cross promotional; she'll continue to have a presence for several years. • AdWeek named it the "Start-Up of the Year" in 2001; Advertising Age named it "Best Magazine of the Year" and "Best Launch of the Year" in 2001. • In 2007, ASME gave it "National Magazine Award for Leisure Interests" as well as "Best Magazine Cover of the Year: Best Service Cover" (O at Home). • Revenues topped $207 million in 2004, an increase of 15%.
1900-1945
• The number of subscribing families grew from 200,000 to 32 million. • DuBois began The Crisis in 1910, the official magazine of the NAACP
Texterity & Zinio
• The two companies that hope to make digital magazine delivery fast & easy; their Published Web Format (PWF) permits browsing online that's similar to paging a print copy. • Text searches, e-mailing part of the package; entire mag content easily browsed, shared & printed; click paths are recorded for advertisers to see. • Texterity's technology requires no additional software or downloads; Zinio requires users to download the Zinio Reader.
Pass-along Rates
• When mags are shared or seen by multiple readers (not all of whom purchased), called pass-along. • Two to three readers per copy is standard pass-along rate for mags like Time; more personal mags like Playboy have a low pass-along rate. • Those commonly found in dental & medical offices have the highest pass-along rates.