4. Magazines

Mitch McKenneyKent State University at Stark

Christopher BurnettCalifornia State, Long Beach

Magazines: Reflecting trends

• Sports Illustrated– Targeted to sports audience

• Glamour– Top 10 women’s magazine, with 2 million readers

• Parenting– Top family magazine gets $200,000 per ad page

• Maxim– 2.5 million readers– Brand also on Sirius-XM

• Magazines reflect the culture

Colonial Magazines and Newspapers

• 50 years after the first colonial newspaper • American Magazine

– Philadelphia -1741 - three issues

• General Magazine – Benjamin Franklin - six issues

• Magazine v. Newspaper – Magazine: national politics, culture and ideas– Newspapers: daily events of local communities

Reaching New Readers

• Women’s Issues: Godey's Lady’s Book, 1830– Advice on morals, manners,

literature, fashion, diet

• Social Crusades: Ladies’ Home Journal, 1887– Advocated Pure Food & Drug Act of

1906

• The Arts - Harper’s, Atlantic Monthly 1850s

• Political Commentary - Nation, 1865; New Republic, 1914; Crisis, 1910

• Postal Act of 1879– Cheaper mailing rate for magazines

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The First National Mass Medium

• Magazines - first national medium – Newspapers local– Books expensive

• Magazine specialties – News– Culture– Entertainment

• Saturday Evening Post– First national publication,1821

Investigative Journalism

• Muckrakers– Term coined by Teddy

Roosevelt who compared crusading reporters to the “Man with a Muckrake” in Pilgrim’s Progress

• Opposed relationship between big business and government

• Ida Tarbell and McClure’s – Targeted John D. Rockefeller

and Standard Oil, 1904

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Magazine Audiences

• Two kinds of audience– Definable, targeted, loyal audience

• Harold Ross’ The New Yorker – commentary, fiction and humor for sophisticated, wealthy

audience

– Broad, general readership • Henry Luce’s Time

– News & Comment in 28 pages

– “For people willing to spend a half hour to avoid being uninformed”

• Ebony and Jet, 1940s– 3 million readers

Specialized Magazines

• Decline of general interest magazines

• People want specialized information

• Three Types – Consumer Publications

– Trade, Technical and Professional Publications

– Company Publications

Consumer Magazines

• Subscriptions and newsstand, supermarket and bookstore sales – Time, Glamour, Parenting

• Make more money than other magazines

• Have the most readers• Supported by

– Sales– Advertising

Trade, Technical and Professional Publications

• Professional associations – Ex. American Medical News

• Universities– Ex. Columbia Journalism Review

• Company Magazines – For employees, customers, stockholders – Ex. Chevron USA Odyssey – Usually don’t carry advertising

Working for Magazines

• Editorial– Produces the content of the magazine

• Circulation sales– Manages subscriptions

• Advertising sales– Sales of advertising space

• Manufacturing & distribution– Production and delivery of the magazine

• Administration – Hiring, paying bills, etc.

Working for Magazines

• Ad rates depend on circulation

• Circulation – Measured by the Audit

Bureau of Circulation (ABC)

• Staff Writers

• Freelancers– Paid per article published

– Some specialize in a subject area

– Often write for more than one publication at a time

• Magazine career link

Magazine Business

• Smaller social role• Competition for specific

audiences• Largest magazine audience:

Women– “Point-of-purchase” (Checkout)

• Segmented Audiences– Special interests– Regions, age groups, etc.

• Magazine Launches– 1 in 3 survive 5 years– Limited pool of purchasers– Circulation down; Ad income up

Top 10 U.S. Consumer Magazines

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A Valuable Audience

• Average magazine reader– High school graduate– Married– Owns a home– Works full time

• Attractive audience for advertisers • Pass along readership

– People keep magazines an average of 17 weeks

– Each magazine has an average of four readers – Better ad targeting

Ownership & Internet

• Industry sales– U.S. News for $100 million– Billboard for $40 million

• Refinement of audiences• Digital Editions

– Conferences with editors and newsmakers– Posting feedback on articles

• Internet Only Magazines– Slate– Nomad

• Magazine Survival

Magazines and the Web

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Critical Discussion

1. Will the marriage of magazines and other media, such as mobile phones increase magazine sales?

2. Will online only magazines be as profitable as print magazines?