Magazines have a long history dating back to the 1700s in Britain and faced many challenges establishing in the US due to lack of infrastructure. Their growth exploded in the late 1800s due to increased literacy, postal reforms, railroads, falling prices, and more leisure time. Women's magazines in particular saw great success. By the mid-1900s, magazines had become America's dominant mass medium and advertising platform but began declining with the rise of television in the postwar era. Today, magazines face new challenges from digital media but some have found online success through websites like Slate and Salon.

1. Magazines Chapter 5

2. Post-Apocalyptic Are we entering a “post-apocalyptic media world… in which Canadian trees are left standing and broadcast towers aren’t?” - Bob Garfield Advertising Age (2007) Living trees mean dead magazines. Data is still mixed on the success of Web-only magazines Slate Salon Considered the first and the best (both of them)

5. Early in the Industry The Saturday Evening Post Printed for 148 years, launched in 1821.

6. Early in the Industry Specialized, niche writing Success also fueled by the spread of social movements like abolitionism and labor reform. Provided compelling content and a boom period began in magazine publishing. 1825 – 100 magazines and just 25 years later, in 1850 there were 600. Began to look less like British copycats and more like a unique product.

7. Advertising and Circulation Post-Civil War era saw popular magazines begin to prosper. By 1885 there were 3,300 magazines

8. Women and Magazines Crucial to the expansion were women’s magazines Suffrage was the social movement that occupied magazine pages Content also contained a lot of “how to” for homemakers Advertisers were eager to appear in new women’s magazines “hawking their wares” Ladies Home Journal and Good Housekeeping

9. Why such phenomenal growth? Five main reasons Widespread literacy Postal Act of 1879 (cheap second-class postage) boosted circulation Spread of the railroad (carried people and publications West) Cost reduction (circulation wars caused prices to drop/more advertising on pages) Industrialization (less time working because of machines = more leisure time and more personal income)

10. Magazines Truly America’s first national mass medium Force in social change Muckrackers used the page space to work for change, like Robin Hood they worked to agitate the powerful with money and help the poor. Magazines helped unify the nation. Mass market Mass circulation Affordable and national

11. Magazines, continued Dominant advertising medium at this time Primary source for nationally distributed news Preeminent provider of visual or photo journalism By 1945 – 32 million families subscribed to one or more magazines. Dubbed “the television of their time” and were eventually knocked out of the number one spot after World War II by the widespread acceptance of television.

12. Magazines vs. TV Television was timely – Magazines were weekly. TV was a novelty to early adopters Magazines worked to capture their fragmented audience by specializing Noted as the “harbingers of change” – they worked to capture a fragmented audience in the 50s like media of today is working to capture a newly fragmented audience

13. Advertising More people have a positive view of magazine advertising It is unobtrusive and does not interfere with the reader’s enjoyment of the magazine Advertorials Number one item advertised in magazines: Drugs and remedies

14. Advertorial

15. Types of Magazines Trade/professional and business magazines (American Medical News, Progressive Farmer) Consumer magazines (New Yorker, Road & Track, Entertaiment Weekly) Public Relations magazines (Colors)

16. Media Literacy & Magazines The infamous OJ Simpson cover image in Time (1994) where OJ’s facial tones were altered.