A Brief History of Magazines

1. A Brief History of Magazines JOUR 500 The Contemporary Magazine 9/11/2012

2. The First Magazines • Looked like little books – and later like 8X12-inch, one-page newspapers • Soapboxes for literate men to share their points of view • No advertising • Written for the upper classes • No headlines or jumped stories – readers would read from the front to the back

3. First Magazine in Britain 1731 : The Gentleman's Magazine • Included essays, stories, poems and political commentary • Over time the magazine had various subtitles, including "monthly intelligencer" and "historical review” • Continued through the 18th and 19th century • Ceased publication in 1907

4. The Gentleman’s Magazine

5. First Magazine War in the U.S. • 1741 • Andrew Bradford, a Pennsylvania printer, publishes American Magazine, or A Monthly View of the Political State of the British Colonies on Feb. 13 • Benjamin Franklin’s General Magazine comes out three days later • Six months later both magazines are out of business

6. The American vs. General Magazine

7. The Saturday Evening Post • First really successful magazine in the U.S. • First published in 1821 • It lasted as a weekly publication until 1969, after which it appeared somewhat sporadically

8. Women’s Magazines • Introduction of the first “women’s magazine” with Lady's Magazine“Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex,” in 1791 • Also The Christian Ladies Magazine (1834) and Godey’s Ladies Book (1830), Good Housekeeping (1885) • Topics included fashion (including what royalty wore), poetry, advice, homemaking tips

9. Godey’s Ladies Book

10. Growth of Magazines • In 1825, there were fewer than 100 magazines in the country • In 1850 there were 600 • By 1900 there were more than 5,000

11. 1880s: Birth of the Mass Media • Until 1880s only upper classes read magazines; the poor – if they read– read newspapers and weekly tabloids • Compulsory education created more readers • In 1879 Congress created second-class mail, making distribution less expensive • Advances in printing press technology led to faster printing in 1880

12. Another magazine war • In 1883 S.S. McClure dropped the price of McClure’s to 15 cents • His rival, Frank Munsey, lowered the price of Munsey’s Magazine from 25 cents to 10 cents • Circulation skyrocketed • The mass media were born

13. The Rise of Advertising • Early magazines contained few ads, most of them classified-type advertisements • 1880-1930 manufacturers began to see magazines as a way to reach the masses; magazines began to depend on advertising to survive

14. New Needs for Advertising • Railroads (large-scale distribution networks) • Mass-produced goods • Development of plate-glass windows led to storefronts and large department stores • These large stores needed to reach a mass audience

15. New Mission for Magazines The mission of magazines changed – from selling information and providing entertainment to giving advertisers access to consumers

16. Impacts on Publishing • Ads made it possible to sell magazines at low cost • This increased circulation • Increased circulation made magazines even more useful to advertisers • Full-page ads and graphic design changed the look of magazines

17. Impacts on Editorial • More concerned about pleasing advertisers • Had to compete with ads for readers’ attention • Editorial departments began to use typography, graphics and other design elements • Headlines began to mimic ad slogans • Stories jumped to back of the magazine • Concerns about potentially “offensive” material – political, sexual

18. Sexuality in magazines • As advertising began to rule magazines, sexual content was frowned upon – editors didn’t want to offend advertisers • After 1975 – and the sexual revolution -- advertisers began to champion sexual suggestion • Ads used sexual imagery as a powerful selling tool • Editorial departments responded by making their own content more sexual

19. Sexuality in magazines

20. Magazine leaders From the beginning, most magazines had a strong leader – a publisher or editor who set the tone

21. Henry Luce 1898-1967 • Cofounded Time with Briton Hadden in 1923 at the age of 24 (Hadden died in 1929) • 1930 founded Fortune • 1936 founded Life • 1954 founded Sports Illustrated • In the 1960s his publications were read by 13 million readers around the world

22. Harold Ross 1892-1951 • High school dropout • Editor in chief of Stars and Stripes, newspaper for servicemen abroad, during WWI • After the war he fell in with the Algonquin Round Table, an exclusive writers group that lunched at the Algonquin Hotel • Founded The New Yorker in 1925 and led it for 25 years until shortly before his death • His successor, William Shawn, remained editor for 35 years

23. Magazines that Made History

24. TIME • First news weekly • First issue: March 3, 1923, 36 pages • Initial print run of 9,000 • Initial investment of $86,000 provided by friends

25. TIME Innovations: • National/international in scale • Put the news in context • Divided news into 22 sections: Foreign News National Affairs, Religion, Science, Crime, Books, Art, Cinema, etc.

26. TIME Innovations: • Report and interpret news in a concise and entertaining way • Designed to be read in one hour • Focus on people, particularly newsmakers • Instituted rigorous fact-checking system

27. LIFE • First issue: Nov. 19, 1936, 96 pages • 10-cent newsstand price • 466,000 print run immediately sold out • Luce’s top-secret project

28. LIFE • Fueled by technological advances in photography and photo reproduction—smaller cameras, quick-drying ink • Condensed style • Documentary approach • Launches photojournalism

29. LIFE • Became the most popular magazine in the U.S. -- weekly circ of 8.5 million • Fueled the growth of photojournalism • Set the standard for photo essays

30. LIFE • The most talked about closing in the publishing world • Ceased weekly publication Dec. 29, 1972 • Intermittent “specials” 1972-1978 • Monthly 1978-2000 • Weekly supplement 2004-March 2007

31. National Geographic • First issue: October 1888 sent to 200 charter members • 1890-91 -- First National Geographic Society-sponsored expedition to Alaska • Brought science, discovery, exploration to the masses

32. National Geographic Innovations: • Undersea photos • Aerial shots of the world • Color photographs • Maps • Newsstand sales begin in 2000

33. People • First issue: March 4, 1974 • The goal: to do serious journalism about famous people • First issue sold 978,0000 copies, somewhat fewer than expected • Conceived for newsstand sales

34. People • Black sheep of Time-Life empire -- ridiculed • Visual storytelling • Celebrities in tragedy, in trouble, in love • Sexiest man alive

35. People Spinoffs

36. Men’s magazines • The first major "glossy" men's magazine was Esquire, founded in 1933. • Esquire featured pinups and impressive literary features.

37. Men’s magazines • In 1953, Hugh Hefner founded Playboy. • The first edition contained nude photos of Marilyn Monroe -- before she became a superstar. • Hefner didn't put a date on the magazine because he didn't know if there would ever be a second edition. • It sold out as soon as it hit the newsstands.

38. Current Trends • Number of magazines growing • Increasingly targeted • More focus on celebrities • Most high-profile magazines - everything from Time to Esquire to Vanity Fair - are owned by one of three big media companies: Time, Advance, Hearst

39. Time Warner • Time • People • Fortune • Sunset • Cooking Light • Health • Money • Family Circle • Essence • Real Simple

40. Time Warner Core Stats • 21.5% Share of overall domestic magazine advertising spending, excludes newspaper supplements. (Through June 30, 2012) • 21 Number of print titles • 138 million U.S. consumers reached in print, online and via mobile devices each month.

41. Advance Publications Conde Nast • Vanity Fair • Brides • Conde Nast Traveler • GQ • Wired Fairchild • FN (Footwear News) • Women’s Wear Daily • M

42. Hearst • ELLE • House Beautiful • O, The Oprah Magazine • Popular Mechanics • Redbook • Cosmopolitan • Seventeen • Esquire • Marie Claire • Redbook