1. Research into magazine institutions
The four main magazine institutions in the UK are: BBC magazines; IPC Media; Emap;
Bauer. I did some research into each of them to see how they target and sustain their
audience, successfully create their magazines and continue as popular companies.

2. • IPC Media is one of the leading media and publishing brands in the UK.
• It produces over 60 iconic media brands, and print alone reaches almost
two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men (almost 26 million UK adults)
and their websites collectively reach over 20 million users every month.
• IPC have a very diverse range in print, targeting many audiences and social
groups, including: men, mass market women and upmarket women.
• IPC are best known for their music magazine NME (the new musical express) which
has been published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper and
gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from
newsprint in 1998.
• NME has had many successes, this may be reliant on the fact IPC weren’t afraid to
introduce new aspects. For example, NME were the first British paper to include a
singles chart (in the 14 November 1952 edition.)
• In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

3. • Emap International Limited is a British media company, their main focus is in
the production of “business to business” magazines, and the organisation of
business events and conferences.
• They have specific publications for each genre (which range a lot) and in these
generally contain specific content relating to a specific industry, such as
nursing, retail and media.
• Emap’s best selling music magazine was Smash hits. It’s primary focus was on
pop music, and it’s target audience is pre-pubescent children and young
teenagers, this signified by it’s layout and language use.
• It was published in the United Kingdom by Emap and ran from 1978 to 2006
and was bi-weekly. Some of it’s key features included: pop music artists, gossip
and fashion. These mostly targeted young girls who had an interest in current
music, but not passionately – as it wasn’t 100% music focussed.
• Smash Hits and Top of the Pops were rival magazines trying to compete for
higher market share at the same defined audience.

4. • BBC magazine is the magazine publishing section of BBC worldwide.
• BBC provides a complete range in magazine genres, targeting an
extremely diverse audience in every sense (much like the other elements
of BBC.)
• Some examples of their magazine genres are: television, gardening,
children’s popular TV programmes, cooking, astrology and cars.
• The BBC’s best selling music magazine is Top of the Pops. (Others include
“classical music magazine” & “it’s hot.”)
• Top of the pops’ (TOTP) main audience focus is on 11 – 15 year olds.
• It was launched in February 1995 and the magazine was released monthly
and now has a website which includes features such as news and recent
artists.
• The magazine has a mainstream audience as it’s primary focus is on char
music. It also includes reader/ audience inclusion features where they can
write in, take part and do quizzes and games.

5. • The Bauer Publishing Group (who own Bauer media) is a worldwide
media institutions and distribute over 230 magazines in 15
countries.
• They also have strong links with the internet, television and radio –
and have used a multi-platform approach to establish themselves as
a successful institution.
• They mainly consist around two groups: magazine and radio – both
being widely recognised as strong and popular institutions.
• Over 12.4 million people listen to a Bauer media radio station and
they own the number one commercial radio station in London, as
well as the next top four. Kiss is one of their main radio stations and
it attracts a young audience with an interest in dance music.
• The music magazine they publish is Kerrang! – targeting a more
niche audience (rock music.) They also publish Mojo magazine.