Intro to Mass Communication - Chapter 5 - Magazines

Circulation

The number of copies of a magazine distributed

Newsmagazine

A journal that specializes in reporting and commenting on current events 

Photojournalism

The telling of stories through photography

Picture Magazine

A journal that specializes in photography and typically features large spreads of photos with short captions and few articles

Literary Magazine

A magazine that specializes in the publication of fictional stories

Pulp Magazine

A publication that specializes in given genre-fiction stories

Fan Magazine

A publication that provides audiences with a behind-the-scenes look at the entertainment industry

Celebrity Magazine

A publication that provides an inside look into the lives of popular celebrities

Magazine

Periodical publication that contains articles, stories, photographs, and advertisements, usually focused on specific topics or interests and published on a regular schedule; Unlike newspapers, they are less-frequent, topic-centered, intended for prolonged focused reading, and are usually of higher production physical quality

Conde Nast

• Founded in 1909 by Conde Montrose Nast 

• First magazine was Vogue 

• Attracted glamorous readers and advertisers 

• Company would publish other titles like The New Yorker, GQ, Architectural Digest, Wired, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and Vanity Fair 

Johann Rist

German theologian and poet who published the first magazine between 1663-1668 (Titled Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen or Edifying Monthly Discussions)

Edifying Monthly Discussions

1663-1668 – First true magazine published in Germany; A literary magazine – inspired education 

Le Mercure Galant

1672 in France; first periodical of amusement - inspired enjoyment; Contained news, short stories, and poetry; published by Frenchman Jean Donneau de Vize

The Athenian Mercury

1693 in Great Britain; first magazine for women

American Magazine

First American magazines debuted in 1741, published in Philadelphia (Andrew Bradford’s)

General Magazine

First American magazines debuted in 1741, published in Philadelphia (Benjamin Franklin’s)

Mass-Appeal Magazines

• Less-expensive magazines produced with a wider audience in mind 

• Versions focused on amusement rather than improvement and reason from before 

• Not focused on the elite class 

The Saturday Evening Post

• First truly successful mass circulation magazine 

• Began printing in 1821 and remained in regular print production until 1969 

• In 1971 a new owner remolded the magazine to focus on health and medical breakthroughs and still can be found today 

• By 1855 in had circulation of 90,000 copies per year 

• First to put artwork on its cover (Featured work of famous artists like Norman Rockwell)

• Also published works from famous authors

Youth’s Companion

• Published between 1827 and 1929 and merged with The American Boy 

• Based in Boston 

• Featured fairly religious content and developed a reputation as a wholesome magazine that encouraged young readers to be virtuous and pious 

• Magazine then decided to reach adult audience by including tame entertainment pieces 

Advertising

Publishers learned that, supported by _________, magazines could be sold for less than they cost to produce, but because of greater circulation they could charge more for advertising space and decrease the cost to the consumer 

Time

Became first newsmagazine to focus on world news (1923)

Forbes

(1917) Popular financial market that began as a biweekly publication

Newsweek

(1933) Competed with Time on global news

Business Week

(1929) Focused on the global market

Life

Most influential picture magazine by Henry Luce; Published between 1936 and 1972; Publication aimed “to see life; to see the world; to witness great events; to watch the faces of those living in poverty and the gestures of the proud; to see strange things”; Widely credited with establishing photojournalism

Look

Popular biweekly picture magazine; Printed between 1937 and 1971; Claimed to compete with Life by reaching out to a larger audience

Mass Circulation of Magazines

Allowed magazines to reach a nationwide audience; Increased magazine revenue; Caused interesting phenomenon: the introduction of national trends

Fredric Wertham

Child psychologist who gave negative backlash against pulp comics; Alleged that comics were leading children into lives of crime

Seventeen

1944 famous magazine for teens

Specialized

Over the last century and into the 2020s, magazines have become more _____

Top Trade Publications

• Publishers Weekly 

• Interior Design 

• U.S. Banker 

• Communication Arts 

• Successful Farming 

• Editor & Publisher 

• Oil and Gas Investor 

• Furniture Today 

Scholarly Publications

• Academic journals have been around since the early years of magazine publication in some form 

• Universal Historical Bibliotheque became the first journal to invite scholarly contributions during the 17^th century 

• Today, hundreds of scholarly journals exist, and every academic field has its own array of journals to which scholars can contribute 

• Ex: American Economic Review and The Journal of Marriage and Families 

Religious Groups

• Christianity Today 

• Catholic Digest 

• Forward

are examples of magazines for specific _____

CrossCurrents

Magazine designed for people of all faiths

Magazines for Political Groups

American left 

• Mother Jones 

• The Progressive 

American right 

• National Review 

• The American Conservative 

Specialization of political magazines by party or ideology has been mirrored by television 

• Fox – conservative audience 

• MSNBC – liberal audience 

Asimov’s Science Fiction 

• Pulp magazine founded in 1977 and popular today 

• Founded because “one of science fiction’s most influential and prolific writers, Isaac Asimov, wanted to provide a home for new science fiction writers – a new magazine that young writers could break into 

• Continues to support writers and has published some of the genre’s most well-known authors 

Comic Books

Became part of print media in the late 1800s but became really popular due to the newspaper cartoons during the Depression of the 1930s and laid the groundwork for the pulp comic book 

• Launch of “Superman” in 1938 is often seen as the touchstone

Superman

Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; Main character -  flying across the sky with his red cape flapping – is possibly the most recognizable comic book figure ever created

Hobby and Interest Magazines

Reflection of the wide array of hobbies and interests that different individuals enjoy

High-Circulation Magazines

• Highest circulating magazines differ greatly in style and audience 

• Part of a subscription membership and thus are regularly in the top tier of U.S. magazines 

AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin

Published by the non-profit organization AARP (American Association of Retired Persons); Automatically sent to the organization’s more than 35 million members

AARP The Magazine

Publishes lifestyle articles and includes sections dedicated to health, money, work, relationships, and travel for people over 50

AARP Bulletin

Focus is on social and political issues facing Americans over 50, especially in the arenas of healthcare, finance, and consumer protection

Parade

Free “insert” inside Sunday newspapers across the United States with light stories; Circulation of 22 million 

• Claim to be “the most widely read magazine in America” 

• Numerous family members pick up and read the magazine once it is in the house 

First published in 1941 as a Chicago print publication

Costco Connection

• Included as part of the Costco Executive program, the top tier membership in Costco 

• Mails out magazine each month to executive members for free 

• Features product reviews, electronics, recipes, offers from Costco’s travel and auto services, and numerous ads for its Kirkland Signature products 

Reader’s Digest

• More than 10 million subscribers 

• Highest paid circulation magazine in the country behind the three membership-based magazines 

• First published in 1922 by DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace 

• Collected and condensed the news 

• Significant international circulation, published in more than a dozen languages 

Time

• Aggregating news from other sources 

• Profiles “Person of the Year”

Newsweek

Created to mimic Time with comprehensive coverage of world events 

U.S. News & World Report

• Created through a merger of a newspaper and a magazine 

• 1933 David Lawrence began publishing a weekly newspaper called the United States News 

• 1939 he founded a weekly magazine titled World Report 

• 1948 they merged 

• known for rankings of U.S. Colleges

Ladies’ Home Journal

• 1879 – 2014 

• Recognizable for “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” 

Good Housekeeping

• 1885 – present 

• Information on running a home and literary offerings 

• Founded the Good Housekeeping Research Institute 

Better Homes and Gardens

• 1922 – present 

• Focus on advice for style, home decor, and gardening 

Sports Illustrated

1954 – present. Famous for swimsuit edition

ESPN The Magazine

1998 – 2019. Sports focus using TV anchors

People

1974 – present. Most popular celebrity magazine in circulation. Tries to maintain journalistic standards and avoid gossip 

National Geographic

1888 – present. Translated to dozens of languages worldwide. Worldwide culture, science, exploration with stunning photography

Playboy

1953 – present. Known for combining nude or semi-nude photography with serious journalism, interviews, fiction, and commentary 

Jeff Jarvis

“Print is not dead. Print is where words go to die” 

John Griffin

“Actually, print is where words go to live – we're still reading the ancient Greeks” 

Paid Subscriptions

An increasingly important factor in top circulation magazines in the 2020s is ____ _______

Ways People Pay for Subscriptions

People pay indirectly for the publication by paying their dues to the organization; People pay directly for a magazine subscription

Cannabis

Throughout 2019 and 2020 the fastest growing category of magazine was devoted to _______

Niche Audience

Magazines are designed to attract a ____ _______

Advertisers

Market of targeted and niche audience appeals to _____ even though circulation is smaller