Magazines

Characteristics of early magazines Magazines filled gap btwn books/ newspapers Mix of entertainment, culture, and commentary Middle ground – many books and newspapers

reached political and philosophical extremes prior to 20th c.

Appealed to specific groups – advertising/ content geared to certain demographics (farmers, women, professionals)

1st publications classified as magazines

“The Tatler” “The Spectator” Both published in England early 18th c.

1st U.S. magazines

Philadelphia 1741 Published by Benjamin Franklin and his

rival, Andrew Bradford

Early magazines

“The Port Folio” 1815 “The North American Review” 1815 “The Saturday Evening Post” 1821

“Godey’s Lady’s Book”

1830 1st magazine to cater specifically to

women 1st medium to identify an audience of its

own

Other 19th c. magazines

“Harper’s New Monthly Magazine” “Atlantic Monthly” “Gleason’s Pictorial” “Harper’s Weekly”

“The Nation”

Est. at the close of the Civil War in 1865 Became preeminent as a journal of

opinion

The Golden Age 1865-1900

Transcontinental RR opened channels of distribution

1879 Postal Act classified magazines within 2nd class, cheaper distribution rate

Pulp paper made from cheaper wood Improvements in printing presses Invention of linotype (automatic

typesetting) machine Photographic reproduction techniques

1865-1885 # of magazines increases significantly

Industry “giants”: “Harper’s” “Scribner’s Monthly” “The Century”

Frank A. Munsey

Achieved vast circulation increases by imitating techniques used by penny newspapers in the 1830’s (shifting expenses to advertisers)

Reduced annual subscription price of “Munsey’s Magazine” from $3 to $1, and dropped price of single issue from $.25 to $.10

Other magazines followed Munsey’s lead

“Ladies’ Home Journal”, “McCall’s”, “Cosmopolitan”, “Collier’s:

Shifted expenses to advertisers Joined competition for national

advertisers

Characteristics of modern magazines

Low cost Large circulation Support from advertisers Service to diverse audiences

Magazines’ impact on culture

Instrument of social reform Became known as“people’s champions” by

investigating and exposing corruption and injustices in political, social, and business arenas

Criticized by some for focusing on negative elements of society

Muckrakers

-- journalists who attacked and sought changes from oil companies, meat-packing firms, medicine manufacturers, city govt.’s, labor organizations, U.S. Senate

-- changes in business community were sparked; led to social reform

End of muckraking era

Brought on by U.S. entrance in WWI Magazines joined newspapers in

promoting war effort with propaganda U.S. concern with war abroad eclipsed

domestic problems

1930’s to 1950’s

Magazines became more attractive to audiences Improvements in production processes Bolder graphics Higher quality paper Emphasis on photojournalism

Magazine “giants”

“Reader’s Digest” “Time” “The New Yorker” “The American Mercury” “The Saturday Review of Literature”

Prominent business magazines

“Fortune” “Business Week” Founded in 1929 Both survived Great Depression and

flourished

Magazine characteristics made famous during this period

Cover girl Color photos of suggestive models Competitive edge – bait for both male and

female readers (men wanted them, women wanted to be them)

“Life” “Look” “Esquire” – 1st of the “slick” mens’s

magazines

Television’s impact on magazines

1956, magazines began to go under due to lack of advertisers Costs of TV advertising comparable to

magazine advertising; TV audience much larger

TV offered dynamic ad presentations Action, sound, and color (by 1960’s)

Subscription war

Early 1950’s to 1960’s Added to economic strain from

advertising losses Magazines made an effort to reduce

circulation in order to save money

Regional editions

“The Wall Street Journal” Began publishing in 4 regions as well as

nationally Editorial content identical but advertising

varied by region Advertisers able to reach particular regions

at lower cost

Success of regional editions

Regional editions proved to be highly successful for specifically oriented journals “Time”, “Newsweek”)

Regional editions permitted advertisers and manufacturers to reach customers whose interest in news/ world affairs indicated high education level/ affluence (valuable to advertisers)

Product differentiation ingenious dvlpmt in advertising – could be done in magazines but not on TV

Most significant change in magazine industry

Due to competition from TV Shift from national magazines of general

interest (“Life”, “Look”) to more specialized publications

Most magazines today appeal to specific audiences in specific locales

The editorial task

From a production standpoint, magazines fall in between books and newspapers

Each issue prepared 4-6 months in advance of publication

Some articles written by staff, others contracted – balance of 2 techniques w/ edge toward staff writing b/c it is more reliable and cheaper

The editorial task, cont’d

Magazine editors try to maintain a consistent tone – a proven format of material that will appeal to the magazine’s specific readership

Gatekeeping function

Editor decides what gets printed Dictated by rigid requirements of specific

audience

Types of magazines

Entertainment/ escape “Cosmopolitan” “Esquire”

News/ information “Time” “Newsweek” “U.S. News and World Report”

Advocacy/ opinion Underground press Organizational/ corporate press Watchdog publications (i.e. “The Progressive”)

Top money makers

“Reader’s Digest” “National Geographic” “Time” “People”