Chapter 1-8: Sports and Leisure Magazines & Magazine Operations
Sports and Leisure Magazines — Comprehensive Notes
Sports Illustrated (Sports and Entertainment Ledger)
Most popular sports/leisure magazine today; peak popularity noted as a standout example.
Origin and focus:
Launched in 1954 by Time Inc.
Original demographic: middle class men with a decent education; demographics evolved over time to include college/high school and even middle school material at times, plus more focus on women's sports.
Content evolution:
Expanded beyond men’s sports to include broader audiences.
In the last 20 years, added more investigative pieces to expose corruption across sports; this contributed to engaging, varied reading.
Circulation and finances:
Circulation peak noted at around 3{,}000{,}000.
Recent trends indicate dwindling numbers and ongoing financial challenges as the magazine seeks new strategies to attract readers.
Rolling Stone (Music Magazine)
Most popular music magazine with the longest all-time circulation; origin and evolution:
Started in 1967 by a publisher named Jan Werner (spelled J a n W e r n e r).
Began as a left-wing political/cultural music magazine and quickly evolved into a rock and roll magazine.
1970s phenomenon:
A cultural trend among musicians to appear on the cover; seen as a pinnacle of achievement for many in the rock era
Notable historical points:
There was a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit in Cleveland featuring Rolling Stone covers, illustrating the magazine’s cultural reach.
First musician on the Rolling Stone cover in 1967: John Lennon.
Anecdotes and culture:
The presenter highlights how being on the cover was treated as a major career milestone in the 1970s/early 1980s.
A related humorous aside includes a sample song from the era referring to the cover milestone (contextual anecdote, not a formal fact).
National Geographic (Nat Geo)
Founding details:
Started in 1888 by Gardner Greene Hubbard and Alexander Graham Bell (the inventor of the telephone).
Notable milestones:
Pioneered publishing undersea and aerial photographs; also among the first to publish outer space photographs.
The magazine is personally meaningful to the speaker due to an interest in planetary astronomy.
Media expansion:
First magazine to have its own TV show (aired in 1965) with dramatic wildlife/earth imagery.
First magazine to have its own cable channel (Nat Geo Channel/Broadcast Network).
Ownership changes:
Disney now owns Nat Geo (channel and associated streaming service).
Personal note:
The speaker reflects on the enduring appeal of Nat Geo and its photographic feats.
Teen/Young Adult and Other Notable Titles
Teen magazines discussion:
Teen magazines have grown in circulation over the last three decades.
The speaker attempts to identify the biggest selling teen magazine for females aged 13–19; guesses include Vogue and People but emphasizes a specific number noted as 17 as of today, though the speaker acknowledges uncertainty and corrects the suggestion of Vogue.
Maxim (men’s lifestyle/magazine):
Noted as a major title geared toward men in their 20s.
Rapid growth in the 1990s; included centerfolds of popular actresses (not full nudity) which contributed to its popularity.
The magazine experienced a very sharp decline by the year 2000 and has since downsized staff but remains active.
AARP The Magazine:
Published by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) beginning in 1958.
Geared toward retirees; by the late 1980s it became the largest-circulation magazine in the U.S., surpassing Reader's Digest and TV Guide.
The question is raised why it rose to prominence in the late 1980s; the discussion centers on demographic retirement waves from the boomer generation.
Ebony (African American audience focus):
John H. Johnson started Negro Digest in 1942, which evolved into Ebony.
Ebony has a circulation of over a million in later years and continues to be relevant.
The Advocate (LGBTQ+):
Began in 1967 and evolved from a newsletter to a magazine tailored to LGBTQ+ communities.
Notable for publishing articles mainstream magazines would not touch, including anti-gay violence coverage.
During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, The Advocate compiled medical information, separating fact from fiction, and published accessible, fact-based material; the publication influenced broader media coverage.
Spanish-language/ethnic-targeted editions:
With rising Hispanic populations, publishers launched Spanish-language editions (separate from English editions) for markets in the U.S. including:
Cosmopolitan en Español
Harper's Bazaar en Español
ESPN Deportes
Sports Illustrated en Español
These editions feature different content tailored to Spanish-speaking audiences and are treated as a separate product with its own distribution and readership.
Summary takeaway:
There is a history of targeted publications that cater to specific demographics and communities with distinct editorial directions.
Supermarket Tabloids
Historical context:
Tabloids push the limits of taste and believability; modern tabloid culture traces origins to 1926 with the National Enquirer published by William Randolph Hearst and later owned by Generoso Pope.
Gore formula (content strategy):
The formula used to boost sales: place the most repulsive, sensational material on the cover to intrigue or shock readers and drive purchases.
Content characteristics:
Coverage includes bizarre human interest stories, gruesome murders, violent accidents, and unexplained phenomena.
Personal anecdotes:
The presenter recounts childhood exposure to tabloid culture and the idea that readers often know such content is not factual but still finds it entertaining or amusing.
Magazine Departments and Duties (Organization & Workflow)
Editorial department:
Responsible for all stories; not responsible for advertising.
Subeditors (magazine equivalents of newspaper assistant editors):
Oversee writing, design, graphics, photography, and grammar checks.
Staff writers:
Magazines are niche-focused; writers must be specialists in the field relevant to the magazine (e.g., film, television, Internet for Entertainment Weekly).
Production & Technology:
Technically manages printing materials; ensures production reliability; digital transport of content to multiple printing sites nationwide.
Benefits include faster delivery to subscribers and regional/local ad targeting.
Advertising & Sales:
Secures clients, manages promotions, and sells ad space.
Revenue model is heavily dependent on advertising; more successful magazines can charge higher ad rates.
Revenue split (typical/observed):
The textbook claims a certain percentage split; the instructor suggests the correct split is approximately 60 ext{%} stories and 40 ext{%} ads, countering the book’s claim. This 60/40 ratio can vary by publication and year.
Advertising influence:
Advertisers can exert significant influence; editors may suppress or alter negative coverage if key advertisers threaten to reduce or pull ads.
Some editors resist this pressure, but concerns remain about editorial independence when large advertisers are involved.
Editions and Editions Strategy
Regional editions:
Content order and cover can vary by region to attract regional advertisers; the same content is presented in a different sequence or with different placement.
Example with Sports Illustrated: regional finals (e.g., Final Four teams Yukon, Florida, Texas, Oregon) could determine who appears on the cover in different regions:
Northeast: Yukon on the cover, Yukon-focused story first.
South: Florida on the cover, Florida-focused story first.
West/Midwest: Texas or Oregon on the cover, with corresponding lead stories.
Split editions (split run):
Stories remain the same and in the same order across regions; ads differ by region.
Demographic editions:
Target specific groups by occupation, class, ZIP code; aim to unlock new revenue streams by tapping niche markets.
Subscription renewal tactics:
Regular mail renewals: notifications typically sent a year before end of subscription; aggressive discount offers (e.g., 90% off for 3 years) to incentivize rapid renewals; later offers may reduce to 80% or 70% to motivate action.
Evergreen subscriptions: email-based renewals; automatic credit card charges unless subscribers opt out; can cancel renewal to stop charges and potentially recover some funds.
Controlled Circulation Magazines
Definition and distribution model:
Free magazines distributed to a controlled audience; do not require payment from recipients.
Typical distribution venues (where readers are effectively “stuck”):
Waiting rooms (doctors, dentists)
Libraries
Salons
Courthouses
Airplanes (in certain classes or areas; some sections may still receive magazines)
Caveats:
Jail distribution is uncertain or unlikely; main point is distribution where readers are stationary for a period of time.
Magalog and Custom Publishing
Definition:
Limited publications produced for a specific group; often free but tied to membership or purchase of a product.
Examples and use cases:
AAA magalog (locations + travel deals for members);
Automobile-brand magalogs (e.g., Chevy) combine location content and car accessories; alumni association publications (e.g., university alumni) with campus news and future events.
Publication cadence:
May occur every six months or three times a year depending on partner organizations and programs.
Magazine Covers and Visual Strategy
Cover effectiveness:
Cover design and the figure on the cover can make or break sales; foundational principles discussed by Dick Stolley (People Magazine co-founder) in shaping modern cover rules.
Dick Stolley’s “cover rules” (summarized):
Young beats old; pretty beats ugly; rich beats poor; music beats movies; movies beat TV; and nothing beats a dead celebrity for high-impact covers. (Note: this is Stolley’s view as stated in the transcript.)
Diversity in covers (recent trends):
2015 study: 19.8% of magazine covers featured someone of a non-Caucasian ethnicity.
2016 study: 35.6% non-Caucasian on covers.
Teen Vogue had the highest diversity among studied magazines: 63.6 ext{ ext{%}} of covers featured a different ethnicity.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue diversity note:
In the first 50 years, only two models of different ethnicity appeared on the cover: Beyoncé and Tyra Banks.
Tyra Banks’s quote: she thanks Sports Illustrated for making “every little black girl that saw that issue go, oh my god, I think I’m pretty because of black girls on the cover.”
Cover lines and teasers:
Cover lines are teaser headlines designed to shock, intrigue, or titillate potential buyers; aim to appeal to as broad an audience as possible.
Editor’s maxim quoted: roughly 85 ext{ ext{%}} of the cover should appeal to 100 ext{ ext{%}} of the audience.
Notable cover-line examples (not endorsed by the presenter):
Glamour: “doing it, 100 women's sexual secret agendas, who wants what, how bad, and how often.”
Cosmopolitan: “sex rules. 10 ways to make him … move so hot, you’ll need a fire hose to cool down the bed.”
Plastic covers:
Used to obscure cover content when it is deemed offensive or controversial (e.g., Demi Moore pregnant nude cover on Rolling Stone in the 1990s); plastic wrap used to avoid controversy in some markets.
Magazines in the Digital Age
Economic and circulation trends since 2009:
2009 economic downturn led to a 25 ext{ ext{%}} drop in ad pages and a 2.2 ext{ ext{%}} drop in circulation for magazines.
Shifts in specific titles:
US News & World Report moved to a fully online model; print edition discontinued.
Newsweek attempted a full online shift in 2013 but faced subscriber backlash (older readers), leading to a partial return to print in 2014.
The Atlantic faced revenue declines (≈ 85 ext{ ext{%}} of revenue drop) but recovered by leveraging digital printouts, live events, and consulting; a digital-first strategy was adopted, prioritizing online content.
Revenue mix in digital age:
Advertising remains important even in digital-first contexts; approximately 40 ext{ ext{%}} of digital revenue comes from ads.
Overall takeaway:
Magazines have faced a challenging transition to digital, with some publishers embracing digital-first models and monetizing through events and services beyond traditional print advertising.
Final Questions and Wrap-Up
The material emphasizes the evolution of magazines from print-dominated formats to diversified media ecosystems, including regional editions, demographic targeting, and digital strategies.
Students should understand the interplay between content strategy, audience segmentation, cover design, and revenue models in the magazine industry.
Ethical and practical implications discussed include advertiser influence on editorial decisions, diversity representation on covers, and the tension between traditional print revenue and digital monetization.
Key Formulas, Figures, and Data Recap (LaTeX format)
Peak circulation for Sports Illustrated: 3{,}000{,}000
National Geographic milestones: first to publish undersea/aerial photographs; first TV show in 1965; first cable channel; ownership by Disney (modern context not numeric).
Diversity cover statistics:
2015: 19.8\% non-Caucasian covers
2016: 35.6\% non-Caucasian covers
Teen Vogue diversity: 63.6\% non-Caucasian on covers
Regional vs. split vs. demographic editions: qualitative distinctions rather than numeric constants; regional edits alter content order and cover; split runs alter ads while content order remains; demographic editions target specific occupations/ZIP codes.
Renewal discounts (illustrative, observed pattern): 90% off → 3 years; then 80% off; then 70% off if delayed; Evergreen model (automatic renewals by credit card with email prompts).