Chap 4 Flashcards
(25 cards)
Colonial mag. compete w/ newspapers
- in 1741 magazines entered the American Media marketplace
- no advertising, so they were expensive
- while newspapers covered daily crises, magazines focused on cultural, political, & social ideas
Race to be first
- American magazine (Andrew Bradford)
- General Magazine (Ben Franklin)
- raced to release 1st mag
- Bradford beat Ben by 6 days
Dissemination begins in 4 categories
Women’s issues
Social Crusades
Political Commentary
Fostering the Arts
Women’s Issues
-Gode’s Lady Book (1830) included advice on morals, manners, literature, fashion, and diet
Social Crusades
-The Ladies Home Journal is credited w/ leading a crusade against dangerous meds. that led to the Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906
Political Commentary
-provided a forum for public argument by scholars & critical observers (ex; The Nation, New Republic, The Crisis)
Fostering the Arts
-In mid 1800’s American mag began to seek a literary audience by promoting writers (ex; Harper’s & The Atlantic)
Postage Act of 1879
- until 1879 Newspaper could be mailed for free, but mag publishers had to pay
- the act gave mag 2nd class mailing @ a discount
- quick reasonably priced distribution
- Led way for rapid growth of titles published 1900
Investigative Journalism
- Muckrakers; investigative mag journalist who targeted abuses by govt and big businesses
- McClure’s mag (1893) by Samuel S. McClure
- To reach a large readership McClure priced his new monthly at 15 cents an issue whole most others were 25 or 35
Peak; Mag Succeed in 2 Ways
Definable, targeted, loyal aud
Broad General Leadership
Definable, targeted, loyal aud
- Ex; New Yorker
- Commentary, fiction, and humor for the wealthy aud
Broad General Leadership
- Ex; Times
- News and commentary that covered the weeks events in 28 pages minus 6 pages of ads
TV causes decline & adaptation
- in 50’s TV begins to offer Americans the same type of general interest that mag provided
- more specified titles began publishing
- Segmented markets mean less readers but those readers are more loyal and willing to pay more for certain types of content
- circulation may be down but ad revenue is up
- mag can track by zip code where they’re shipped to
Specialization leads to relevance
- mag more than any other medium have reflected the surrounding culture & characteristics of society
- as readers needs & lifestyles change so do mag
- mag must give their readers info they can’t find elsewhere
- current trend is toward specialty + internet mags
Today’s Mag
- consumer
- Trade , technical, prof
- Company
Consumer Mag
-most mag sold by subscription or at newsstands, supermarkets, bookstores (People, Men’s Health, Cosmo)
Trade, technical, prof
-mag dedicated to a particular business or profession ( Vet Practice Management or Columbia Journalism Review)
Company mag
- mag produced by businesses for their employees, customers, or stockholders (ex; Chevron USA Odyssey)
Readership in today’s crowded market
- women continue to be the most lucrative audience for print mag
- men read more online
- singular editions make a comeback
- point of purchase
Point of Purchase
-mag that consumers buy directly and not by subscription. They are sold mainly at checkout stands in supermarkets
Avg Mag reader
- at least high school diploma
- married
- owns a home
- full time job
pass along readership
- people keep man an average of 17 weeks
- each mag had an avg of 4 readers
- better ad targeting (geography, income, interest, zip code)
Digital Editions
- offers publishers a way to expand readership & give advertisers access to online aud
- business week (1994) began offering its mag online; including a feature that gives readers access to internet conferences w/ editors, news makers, and forums where readers can post messages related to articles
- today we have several online only mag (Slate, salon.com)
- digital readers are younger (18-44)
- better educated (44% are college grads)
Demographics and psychographics
- demographics; the avg or typical characteristics of people who buy a product or services
- psychographics; includes info on people lifestyles & behaviors (fav vacay spot, interests/hobbies, values, behavior, opinions, attitudes
