WCC COMM 101 CHAPTER #5 LUTHER

1. Chapter 5:
Magazines

2. A Short History of Magazines
By mid-1700s, magazines were a favorite
medium of the British elite
 Two prominent colonial printers—Andrew
Bradford and Benjamin Franklin—tried to
duplicate that success in the New World and
started the Magazine industry in the US
 1825 = 100 magazines
 1850 = 600 magazines
 1870 = 1,200 magazines

3. A Short History of Magazines
The Mass Circulation Era
In the 1870s, magazines sold for as little
as 10 and 15 cents
By 1885 3,300 magazines were
publishing
Women’s Magazines:
Suffrage (social movement for women’s
rights) & homemaker magazines
Postal Act of 1879:
Allowed for mailing magazines at cheap
second-class rates

4. A Short History of Magazines
•The Mass Circulation Era
Railroad helped to fuel growth of
mass circulation magazines
Able to be distributed nationwide

5. A Short History of Magazines
•The Mass Circulation Era
As a result, magazines became
America’s first national mass medium
Between 1900 and 1945, the number
of families who subscribed to one or
more magazines grew from 200,000
to more than 32 million

6. A Short History of Magazines
The Era of Specialization
Television forced magazines to change:
Magazines could not match the reach of
television
Magazines were usually weekly while TV was
continuous
Magazines were static while TV was dynamic
World War II further urbanized and industrialized
America giving the Public more leisure time and
more money to spend

7. Scope and Structure of the
Magazine Industry
In 1950, there were 6,950
magazines and, in 2012, the number
of all types of magazines exceeded
20,000 but circulation numbers have
dropped for most, if not all, major U.S.
magazines in the past few decades
Magazines, like all other kinds of
mass media, are dealing with
audience fragmentation and
completion from digital media
channels and sources

8. Scope and Structure of the
Magazine Industry
•The Death of the Magazine?
•According to the Association of
Magazine Media, 91% of people
read magazines, an all-time high.
•Too many magazines?

9. Developing Media Literacy Skills
•Recognizing the Power of Graphics
Graphics and other artwork provide
the background for interpreting
stories
The Perfect Lie

10. •ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON
CHAPTER 5?
CHAPTER 5: MAGAZINES