Magazines. Characteristics of early magazines Magazines filled gap btwn books/ newspapers Mix of...
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Transcript of Magazines. Characteristics of early magazines Magazines filled gap btwn books/ newspapers Mix of...
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”