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Chapter 9 Summary  The Early History of Magazines The term magazine comes from a French word that means “storehouse.” Today, magazines are collections of articles, stories, and advertisements in a nondaily periodical not published in a newspaper style. The first magazines were published in European countries and often used for political commentary or persuasion. This form of publishing was imported to the American colonies, where the costs of production and delivery combined to keep industry growth slow for several decades. Most magazines were smaller local or regional publications, and many were devoted to certain categories of readers. As literacy increased and printing and transportation technology improved in the nineteenth century, a market was created for national magazines. One of the most famous examples is the Saturday Evening Post, which was launched in 1821 and became the longest–running magazine in U.S. history. In addition to the move to national circulation, there were two other important developments in magazine publishing at this time:

magazines targeting a female audience, like Ladies’ Magazine and Godey’s Look Book; and the emergence of illustrations in magazines. The Development of Modern American Magazines The turn of the twentieth century saw faster growth in the industry as well as the rise of several major magazines as instruments for social reform. Muckrakers exposed unfair business practices and corruption in government. As muckraking journals became less popular after World War I, general–interest magazines, which often prominently featured photojournalism, rose to prominence. The Saturday Evening Post, Life, and Look were three of the most popular titles of the day, reaching millions of readers. Sadly, despite a large circulation and strong pass–along readership, competition from television and other factors meant many of these titles struggled and eventually folded in the 1950s and 1960s. Still, titles like TV Guide and People managed to use new business models and the public’s fascination with television to great success. In the last fifteen years, the newer electronic medium of the Internet is being embraced by the magazine industry. Publishing online eliminates the cost of printing and transportation, as well as space concerns. Major magazines typically offer online versions, which carry additional content like video, blogs, games, and other interactive components. Webzines(online–only magazines) like Slate and Salon have helped legitimize the Web as a site for breaking news and discussing culture and politics. Other Webzines are redefining the look, feel, and touch of the magazine. The Domination of Specialization While the history of specialization stretches back to the earliest days of magazines, the trend all but completely took over the industry starting in the 1950s, due largely to competition from television. Magazines today are first divided by advertiser type; there are consumer magazines (Cosmo), business or trade magazines (Advertising Age), and Chapter 9 Summary  farm magazines (Dakota Farmer). Still others, such as Consumer Reports, fall into the noncommercial category, which relies completely on subscription and newsstand sales. Some categories of new specialized magazines include: men’s and women’s magazines; sports, entertainment, and leisure magazines; magazines for specific age groups; elite magazines; minority–targeted magazines; and supermarket tabloids. By focusing on niche audiences, the magazine industry continues to find readers. The Organization and Economics of Magazines Today a magazine can be a small one–person operation produced with computer–driven desktop publishing or an elaborate production operation with large staffs and multiple departments. Traditionally there are three parts of the magazine publishing business: (1) editorial and production staff that create the non–advertising content of the magazine; (2) advertising and sales staff that secure clients, arrange promotions, and place ads; and the (3) circulation and distribution department that monitors single–copy and subscription sales. The quest to make a profit means that major specialized magazines are trying to fit into even smaller niches by producing regional editions, split–run editions, and demographic editions. In general, magazines earn money from single–issue sales at places like newsstands and supermarkets, annual subscriptions, evergreen subscriptions that are set to renew automatically each year, and from selling ads. Publishers may also produce glossy high–end catalogs called magalogs for their customers. While the Internet has opened new inexpensive avenues for already–existing alternative publications (including zines), most of the popular magazine titles are still owned by a few large companies or chains. The largest of these in terms of circulation are Time Warner, Meredith Corporation, Hearst Corporation, Advance Publications, and Reader’s Digest Association. Magazines in a Democratic Society Historically, magazines have offered the flexibility to provide more analysis and insight into society than other media outlets. This has often been of great benefit to a democratic society. Unfortunately, the business needs of the magazine industry have also meant readers were viewed first as a commodity for advertisers, and second as members of society.