Task 1: Evaluation of Music Magazines

1. Media Companies
AS Media Studies
By Samuel Goodwin

2. Bauer

3. Who Are Bauer?
Bauer Media Group is a European-based media company, that manages a
portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio
and TV stations around the world. Bauer Media is a multi-platform media
group, with locations across the UK. Following their purchase of Emap in 2007
Bauer Verlagsgruppe has been managed by five generations of the Bauer
family. Originally a small printing house in Germany, Bauer Media Group
entered the UK with the launch of Bella magazine in 1987.
Some magazines that Bauer manage include women's weekly and TV listings
magazines; namely Bella, Take a Break, that's life! TVChoice and Total TVGuide.
This is as well as a number of puzzle magazines.
Q started out as a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom,
before being managed by Bauer. Originally it was to be called Cue (named after
the act of cueing a record to play). However the name was changed so that it
wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. The Q music brand has
expanded to Radio and Television, with Q radio and Q Tv being music
entertainment that specialises in indie, rock and alternative. Q also holds
annual music awards in the UK, known as Q Awards.

4. Bauer Fact File
Type limited partnership under German law
Industry Media
Founded 1875
Headquarters Hamburg, Germany
Key people Yvonne Bauer, (CEO and 85% owner)
Products
Multi-platform media: print, digital, radio, TV.
Print houses, postal services, distribution and
marketing services
Revenue approx. 2.4 billion euros (2013)
Number of employees 11,000 (2013)
Website www.bauermedia.com

5. The History Of Bauer
The history of Bauer started with a business card.
In 1875, Ludolph Bauer has just turned 23 when he sets up a printing
plant in Hamburg to produce business cards. As well as taking on
various printing jobs, he launches the local advertising newspaper
Rothenburgersorter Zeitung. This is later followed by Extrablatt am
Montag and eventually in 1926 by Rundfunk-Kritik – a radio magazine
which quickly reaches sales of over a half a million copies weekly.
The publishing house works its way to the top after the Second World
War with listing guides and youth magazines. Rasselbande sells 300,000
every fortnight, tv Hören und Sehen reaches one million readers. The
magazines Quick, Revue and Bravo become firm fixtures in every
German household. In the 1970s, the first weekly women’s magazines
are created with tina and bella. A few years later, Bauer buys a stake in
the TV broadcaster RTL II and the radio station Radio Hamburg. After
German reunification, the Magdeburg daily Volksstimme is added to
the portfolio.

6. Take A Break
The magazine cover is very bright and
attractive. There is a lot of information on
the front cover too which may attract
adults to see what's inside without flicking
through.
The target audience is women from about
20 to 45 as all of the articles are what these
women will want to know about and read
about.
Also the central image of the woman is
what some women strive to look like so it
may attract them.

7. KERRANG magazine
The central image shows a
stereotypical rock/punk group. This
will attract rock and punk fans as they
will see the image straight away and
pick up the magazine.
The by-line stands out which will
make some green day fans pick up the
magazine. As it is in 'Green' and very
big and bold too.
The '5 free posters' also stands out
which may attract people to the
magazine.

8. Future

9. Future are an international publishing group and
leading digital business. Set up in 1985 with a
single magazine, Future has grown to a portfolio
of over 200 print titles, apps, websites and
events.
Who are Future

10. The history of Future
The company was founded as Future Publishing in Somerton, Somerset in
1985 by Chris Anderson with the sole magazine Amstrad Action. An early
innovation was the inclusion of free software on magazine covers, the first
company to do so.
Anderson sold Future to Pearson PLC for £52.7m in 1994, but bought it back
in 1998, with Future chief executive Greg Ingham and Apax Venture Partners,
for £142m.In 2001, Anderson left Future.
In November 2009, Future reported a fall in profits from £9.5 million to £3.7
million (a loss of 61 percent) in the fiscal year that ended 30 September 2009.
Future attributed this to problems with their US market, hit by a fall in the
general advertising market.
In March 2010, Future announced that it was exploring the possibility of
reviving its GamesMaster brand on television. The video games show had run
from 1992 until 1998; the spin-off magazine continues to be published

11. Digital Camera
The central image will attract
photographers to buy the magazine as
the image is a very good photo. This will
make people want to buy it as they may
think they can take a picture like that
too.
Also the word free stands out and may
make people buy it to get the stuff.

12. Guitarist
The central image is a very iconic artist
which might may people but the
magazine just for that.
It also shows different types of guitars
which will attract 'Guitarists'.