Chapter 8
Magazines in the
Age of Specialization
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The Story of Cosmopolitan
―The story of how a ’60s babe named
Helen Gurley Brown (you’ve probably
heard of her) transformed an
antiquated general-interest mag
called Cosmopolitan into the must-
read for young, sexy single chicks is
pretty damn amazing.‖
Magazines in Colonial America
American colonies, early 1700s—no middle
class, no widespread literacy
Early magazines documented early American
life.
Concerns over taxation, state vs. federal
power, etc.
Ben Franklin in Philadelphia
General Magazine
Ruthlessly suppressed competition
Used privileged position as postmaster
By 1776 about 100 magazines in colonies
National, Women’s, and Illustrated
Magazines
Increases in literacy and public
education, combined with better
printing and postal technology, created
a bigger magazine market.
The Nation (1865–present): Pioneered the
national political magazine format
Women’s magazines on the rise
Godey’s Lady Book (1830–1898)
Helped to educate lower- and middle-class
women denied higher education
The Development of Modern American
Magazines
Postal Act of 1879 lowered postage
rates, increased magazine circulation.
By late 1800s, advertising revenues
soared.
Captured customers’ attention and built
national marketplace
Magazine circulation flourished.
Ladies’ Home Journal
1903—first magazine to reach a
circulation of one million
Social Reform and the Muckrakers
Teddy Roosevelt coins term in 1906.
Early form of investigative reporting
Journalists sought out magazines where
they could write in depth about broader
issues.
Famous American muckrakers:
Ida Tarbell, ―The History of the Standard
Oil Company‖ (oil monopoly)
Lincoln Steffens, ―Shame of the Cities‖
(urban problems)
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (meatpacking
industry)
The Rise of General-Interest
Magazines
Popular after WWI from 1920s to
1950s
Combined investigative journalism
with broad national topics
Rise of photojournalism plays a
prominent role in general-interest
magazines.
Gave magazines a visual advantage
over radio
The Rise of General-Interest
Magazines (cont.)
Saturday Evening Post
300+ cover illustrations by Norman Rockwell
Reader’s Digest
Applicability, lasting interest, constructiveness
Time
Interpretive journalism using reporter search
teams
Life
Oversized pictorial weekly
Pass-along readership of more than 17 million
Table 8.1
The Top 10 Magazines
(Ranked by Paid U.S. Circulation and Single-copy Sales,
1972 vs. 2009)
The Fall of General-Interest
Magazines
Nation fascinated with TV
TV Guide is born.
Postal rates dramatically rise in early 1970s.
Life, Look, and Saturday Evening Post all fold by
1972.
Notable exception to decline of mass market
magazines: People, 1974
First successful magazine of its kind in decades
Some charge that People is too specialized to
be mass market with its focus on celebrities,
music, and pop culture.
Convergence: Magazines Confront
the Digital Age
Magazine companion Web sites ideal
for increasing reach of consumer
magazines
Feature original content such as blogs,
videos, social networks, other interactive
components
Webzines made the Internet a
legitimate site for culture, politics,
current events.
The Domination of Specialization
Magazines grouped by two important
characteristics
Advertiser type
Consumer
Business or trade
Farm
Noncommercial category
Includes everything from activist newsletters
to scholarly journals
Ad-free magazines like Ms., Cook’s Illustrated
also included
The Domination of Specialization
(cont.)
Magazines also broken down by target
audience
Men and women
Leisure, sports, and music
Age-group specific
Elite magazines aimed at cultural
minorities
Minorities
Magazine Departments and Duties
Editorial
Content, writing quality, publication focus,
and mission
Production
Machines and paper
Layout and design
Advertising and sales
Manage the income stream from ads
Circulation and distribution
Either ―paid‖ or ―controlled‖
Figure 8.1
Top Magazine Companies by Total Circulation, 2010
What Time Warner Owns
Books/Magazines – Time – Telepictures Productions
• DC Entertainment • IPC Media (75 U.K. – Warner Bros. Television
– DC Comics magazines) – Warner Bros. Animation
– Mad magazine – Warner Home Video
• Time Inc. Television/Cable
– Coastal Living • HBO Movies
– Cooking Light – HBO • New Line Cinema
– Entertainment Weekly – Cinemax • Warner Bros. Pictures
– Essence • Turner Broadcasting • Warner Bros. Theatre
– Fortune System Ventures
– Fortune Small Business – Cartoon Network
– Golf – CNN Internet
– Health – HLN • 10best.com
– InStyle – TBS •CNN.com/CNNMoney.com
– Money – TCM • FanNation.com
– People/People en Español – TNT • Life.com (with Getty
– People StyleWatch – truTV Images)
– Real Simple • Warner Bros. Television • myrecipes.com
– Southern Living Group • PeoplePets.com
– Sports Illustrated – The CW Network
– This Old House
Major Magazine Chains
Time, Inc.
Largest magazine chain in U.S.
Advance Publications
Owns Condé Nast, which controls
magazines like Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue
Rodale
Meredith Corporation
Specializes in women’s, home-related
magazines
Hearst
Hachette Filipacchi
Alternative Voices
Many alternative magazines define
themselves through politics.
Struggle to serve small but loyal
contingent of readers
Some alternative magazines have
achieved mainstream success.
Early 1980s—William F. Buckley’s
National Review had circulation of more
than 100,000.
Magazines in a Democratic
Society
Magazines provide essential information
about our society and unite groups of
people.
But magazines are growing increasingly
dependent on advertising—readers are
just viewers and purchasers of material
goods.
How can magazines straddle the need to be
both commercially and culturally viable?