"Women's magazines are the only mass magazines that are read by readers who will take the material in them and apply it to their own lives," Robert Stein of 'McCall's' made known in 1980. "We can't just report facts. We have to put them in some kind of context because they're going to be put into action. What other magazines do you cook dinner from?" Herbert R. Mayes, also of 'McCall's' added, "The editor is the key, the center of everything, the top of the masthead. Without him, there is no product, no advertising. The editor is more important than the president of the company, and gender doesn't make a damn bit difference."
Circulations were to magazines what ratings were to television. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, there was a growth in sales in the 10 years between 1967 (some 229,144,000 magazines sold) and 1977 (some 257,463,000 magazines sold). Kathy Foglino of the Magazine Publisher's Association (MPA) estimated there were about 10 new magazines launched in 1973, for every one magazine that stopped printing. Robert M. Gosborn, also of the MPA made the remark in 1974, "We're seeing a second revolution in print – and newsprint supplies permitting, we'll continue to see it. The resurgence of magazines lies in the fact that television can only whet an interest for information. Magazines give depth of perspective, interpretation and reflection."
Art Hettich of 'Family Circle' observed, "Everyone's basic interest remains the same: me, you, family, home, universe, in that order. Shelter, clothes, nourishing yourself, whether you get what you want out of life is what counts." Robert Hood, the editor-in-chief of 'Boys Life' (launched in March 1911, circulation 7.45 million readers, aged 9 to 17 in 1986) told the Associated Press, "What they like hasn't changed that much. Every time we ask in a survey what they want more of, it's always hunting, fishing, music and cars. Boys don't read as much any more. And they are much more sophisticated now (in 1986) than 20 years ago (1966). We had to change with the market. We also trimmed the normal length of our articles from 2,500 and 3,000 words down to about 1,500. Human nature doesn't change that much. Instead of telling kids how to build things, it'll be more a matter of telling them how to assemble them from plastic."
Tony Schwartz of 'Newsweek' maintained, "People don't want to read about the issues magazines were discussing 6 or 7 years ago (back in 1972, 1973). They want to read about themselves and how to make their lives better. People want the information they get from magazines to be easy. They don't want discussion. They want it like McDonald's." David Klein was a professor of social sciences made the point, "What 'New York' magazine does is tell people how to cope with consumption. That's where these magazines come in. People aren't fulfilled in their jobs so they have a need for recognition beyond the work arena. If their jobs aren't fulfilling, maybe learning how to make a quiche – which will then make them 'in' – will be."
"In the old days", advertiser Samuel Ferber explained in 1980, magazines survived because of circulation. But by the early 1980s, in order to survive the magazines would have to depend on advertising for money. Samuel said one-sixth of a 'Newsweek' page would cost advertisers $6000, while a full page would cost $35,000. He told students, "People read magazines because they are specialized." Back in 1974 it was reported, "The big problem of the magazine industry is that magazines have been sold to consumers for less than their production costs." By 1983, the Top 10 magazines combined sold a total of 90.4 million copies. And although the combined Top 10 most profitable magazines earned $1.7 billion in advertising revenues, it was noted the most popular magazine ('Reader's Digest', 17.9 million copies sold) did not make the Top 10 in advertising income (earning only $102 million in advertising revenue). 'Time' magazine was the 9th most popular magazine (4.4 million copies sold) was ranked the No. 1 magazine attracting the mass-audience advertising dollars ($299 million).
Joseph Hanson of 'Folio' mentioned back in 1974, "These days magazines cater to an audience requiring in-depth information in a special field. 'TV Guide' is a specialized magazine." In 1983, 'TV Guide' was ranked No. 2 in both circulation (17.2 million) and advertising revenue ($269 million). Louis Slovinsky of Time Inc. told the Associated Press in 1981, "Color TV reached its maximum penetration in the early 1970s. As people got used to color TV, the novelty wore off. 'Life' (magazine) was at the leading edge of introducing the photographic essay as a form of communication. It reflected American society and American life in photographs, and showed Americans their culture. It was their TV, in a sense."
Benjamin Compaine of Harvard University made the comment in 1981, "The overall outlook for consumer magazines is bullish. They are resilient in the face of recession and the competing media such as television, newspaper and radio." At the time, Ronald Reagan was planning to deregulate the industry. Benjamin believed, "For the new magazine, it's a crap shoot (because of high startup costs)." He pointed out, "Some institutions start with little cash and build up a specialized constituency." Based on the statistics from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, Fern Schumer of Chicago Tribune reported in 1978, "Consumer magazines are making a fortune off the economy's misfortunes. With continued high inflation and interest rates, more people are looking for advice on managing their shrinking resources.
"'Money' (magazine) started in 1972. Its average reader has an income of $44,566, an average portfolio of $144,562, and is about 35 years old. About 84% of 'Money' readers have gone to college, 85% own homes, and 46% have other real estate investments." Executive editor Keith Johnson explained, "The idea then (in 1972) and now (in 1981) was that there are a lot of middle and upper-income people who enjoy a decent standard of living but don't know a great deal about managing family finances and aren't affluent enough to pay for someone to manage their money."
"'Money' (magazine) started in 1972. Its average reader has an income of $44,566, an average portfolio of $144,562, and is about 35 years old. About 84% of 'Money' readers have gone to college, 85% own homes, and 46% have other real estate investments." Executive editor Keith Johnson explained, "The idea then (in 1972) and now (in 1981) was that there are a lot of middle and upper-income people who enjoy a decent standard of living but don't know a great deal about managing family finances and aren't affluent enough to pay for someone to manage their money."
According to the Publishers Information Bureau, the gross advertising revenue for 96 consumer magazines in 1977 totaled $1,965,410,809. In 1976, the figure was $1,626,656,136. Chuck Tannen of 'Folio' enthused, "The magazine business is booming. ('People' magazine, launched March 1974 was) the great success story of the industry. People are spending a lot of time reading. There are more books being sold – paperbacks."
It was understood Henry Luce who founded 'Time' magazine rejected the idea for 'People' magazine when it was first proposed to him in 1935. By 1974, S. Christopher Meigher III, publisher of 'People' magazine reasoned in 1984, "It was the beginning of the Me generation. The focus began to be more on the individual, with people looking inward. What interests people most is other people. But what ('People') does beyond that is to reach out and touch you. 'People' takes a human look at newsworthy events and issues, and brings them close to home." By 1984, the demographics of 'People' magazine revealed the readers median age to be 33 years old with household incomes averaging $26,000 annually. Around 40% of the men read 'People' magazine and over 40% were college educated.
It was understood Henry Luce who founded 'Time' magazine rejected the idea for 'People' magazine when it was first proposed to him in 1935. By 1974, S. Christopher Meigher III, publisher of 'People' magazine reasoned in 1984, "It was the beginning of the Me generation. The focus began to be more on the individual, with people looking inward. What interests people most is other people. But what ('People') does beyond that is to reach out and touch you. 'People' takes a human look at newsworthy events and issues, and brings them close to home." By 1984, the demographics of 'People' magazine revealed the readers median age to be 33 years old with household incomes averaging $26,000 annually. Around 40% of the men read 'People' magazine and over 40% were college educated.
Between 1983 and 1985, 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' were TV's hottest shows on prime time. David Poltrack of CBS expressed in 1986, ". . . During their peak, when 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' were fighting for No. 1, they were the lead story in the consumer press, like 'People' magazine. Now (in 1986), sitting in positions that are down a little, they can't be expected to generate the same kind of promotional excitement." Harvey Shephard of CBS argued, "Every television show reaches a point where it experiences audience decline, usually after 5 or 7 years . . . You sort of run into dry spells as far as storytelling avenues are concerned."
By 1990, "the 7 sisters" of the magazine world were 'Better Homes & Gardens', 'Family Circle', 'Good Housekeeping', 'Ladies' Home Journal', 'Mccall's', 'Redbook' and 'Woman's Day'. Ten years earlier, the New York Times reported "the 7 sisters" circulations combined totaled 45 million. Laura Berman of Knight-Ridder Newspapers made the comment in 1978, "Someday, you (the high-consuming, college-educated, 18 to 34-year-olds) can tell your kids about 'Life' and 'Look' and reminisce about how classy 'Vogue' looked before it shrunk."
By 1990, "the 7 sisters" of the magazine world were 'Better Homes & Gardens', 'Family Circle', 'Good Housekeeping', 'Ladies' Home Journal', 'Mccall's', 'Redbook' and 'Woman's Day'. Ten years earlier, the New York Times reported "the 7 sisters" circulations combined totaled 45 million. Laura Berman of Knight-Ridder Newspapers made the comment in 1978, "Someday, you (the high-consuming, college-educated, 18 to 34-year-olds) can tell your kids about 'Life' and 'Look' and reminisce about how classy 'Vogue' looked before it shrunk."
