Tabloids and Me

Walking past any newsstand you cannot help but stare at the tabloid headlines that scream out to you saying, “Angelina is pregnant” and “Speidi is married”. Magazine tabloids have become our past time and leisurely read.
InTouch and Life & Style are one of many magazines that make their money on the lives of celebrities. They tell us weekly about what is happening in their lives and what moves they are going to make next.
So why do we the readers and consumers indulge in such “trashy” read? These magazines give us insight to what we might want our lives to be or not to be. For example, we all want a fairy tale ending just like “Bradjolina” and have kids and travel the world. Or on the other hand we all do not want to be known as that person who always goes to rehab, such as LindsayLohan.
Tabloids make bank on timely news and getting the scoop before anybody. One of the most expensive and most sought out tabloid expose is the new celebrity baby. We want to know what Christina Aguillera’s baby looks like, and what designer duds baby Suri is wearing. So you ask, how expensive are these photo-ops? Brad and Angelina received $11 and $15 million for the first photos of their twins, Knox and Vivienne, stated in www.forbes.com by Lacey Rose. Those photos were said to be the most expensive according to Forbes. The most shocking thing, I think, is not that Brad and Angie were paid millions of dollars for these photos, but we paid $2 to $3 out of our pockets and spend 10 to 15 minute of our lives reading such nonsense every week.
These types of magazines not only give us the low down on celebrity mishaps, but they also give us the “how to” live like a celebrity and “how to” look like a celebrity. They give us the readers images of what the latest trends the celebrities are wearing. They also inform us if two celebrities are wearing the same thing, which one wore it best. In these magazines we are also able to see how much celebrities spend on houses, clothes and leisure. We can also see how we can too, purchases swanky homes, and chic looking clothes for less.
These magazines feed our brains into wanting to be just like these celebrities we see on television. Their target audience is predominantly women of the age 30, according to Intouch and Life & Style’s media kit online. For both of those magazine’s they serve from 4 to 7 million readers.
We are sucked into wanting to know what is happening in these celebrities lives and these magazines feed our need to know.

Peaches Geldof Launches Own Magazine

British socialite and occasional journalist Peaches Geldof has managed to publish and create an entire magazine in a time of major strife in the industry, just about all by herself (with the help of one business partner). Disappear Here will be out this Thursday and be distributed for free in various night clubs, bars and record shops, according to Nylon (where Peaches owes her only journalism credential, a monthly column). She calsl Disappear Here a "women's magazine that appeals to men", adding that she doesn't feel womans magazines have enough of a sense of humor.

Although it will be a while until the industry will see if Peaches' newest endeavor will be a success, it does slightly stand out in the sea of new magazines launched each year. Last year, 248 new magazines were introduced into an international magazine market of almost 20,000 ( and that number is sure to multiply, if you count zines, and online magazines) titles, all according to the Magazine Publishers of America website. Out of all these publications, most are ethnic then followed by regional publications and travel magazines (Jann Wenner said to The Huffington Post, "Don't even try to start a magazine today; it's impossible. Besides financing and publishing support, you need, at the center of it, some extraordinarily talented, prescient individual. Such as I was"). So when 9 out of 10 magazines fail, (according to Entrepreneur magazine) how is a socialite going to fare? It's hard to tell, maybe magazines needs people outside the industry and without the background to come and shake things up. Or maybe this is just another example of a self-important wealthy socialite who thinks everything they touch will turn to gold.

Seeing the Rack Half Full

The industry is changing; there’s no disputing it. Some say times are tough for the magazine business in the midst of economic unrest; others are still optimistic. Will online versions replace print? Will people begin to see such entertainment as unnecessary luxury and forgo their favorite magazines? What is in store for the world of magazines in the years to come? I’ve decided to take a closer look at what some of the more hopeful professionals are saying.

There has been a lot of talk about Hearst closing the doors on “Cosmogirl.” Conde Nast’ “Men’s Vogue” was recently relinquished and absorbed by “Vogue”.  And there is no doubt that jobs are being sacrificed across the board. But according to one article published in the New Yorker: during a much more difficult economic crisis (namely the Great Depression), some magazines managed to emerge triumphantly and set the tone for a changing industry.

James Surowiecki’s feature, Let the Bad Times Roll, discusses “Fortune’s” success despite its emergence during such hard times. And although this may be an extenuating example, it illustrates a point that optimistic journalists continue to take comfort in; that the magazine industry has always found ways to reform to the times and pull through.

At a recent meeting of the Custom Publishing Council titled, “The Increasing Relevance of Magazines”, president of McPheters and Company, Rebecca McPheters told Samir Husni of Mr.Magazine.com that:

“I believe that magazines are more relevant than they have ever been before. Why? Because magazine readership is growing…magazines give you an opportunity to engage with content that you are tremendously interested in.”

And according to Husni’s statistics, 74 new magazines were launched in October of this year. Although down from 93 in 2007, the number is still high and it shows that people are still motivated to publish magazines.

In another interview he spoke with David Carey, Group President at Conde Nast, who said this when asked whether he thought optimistically about the industry:

“I would think that every industry in the history of the world has gone through what we are going through right now… I think the population of half-full thinkers shrinks right now, but God forbids, it never goes to zero…Out of these periods of time new ways of doing business emerges…new thinkers, new readers…I would say, yes, very much so half-full. I might have fewer brethren who see (it) that way, but I still very much do.”

It’s reassuring to hear people like Carey, who know the industry in and out, speak positively about the business. As with any consumer industry, I think it is important to see the light in dark times. Consumer reaction to existing markets is largely based on how businesses present themselves. Shoppers will avoid a product that is surrounded by negative publicity. The magazine industry is no exception. Because we seek to publicly discuss everything going on around us, we don’t hesitate to write unenthusiastically about ourselves. But in doing so, we only weaken our own industry by letting on to the public that as journalists- we are even losing faith. And if we don’t see the glass half full, the magazine reader won’t either.

As for the fear that digital media has and/or will take over the industry, I for one believe that although it is crucial to incorporate interactive websites and to utilize the internet, people will continue to appreciate the anticipation of receiving their printed version. There is still something to be said for the accessibility and convenience of the actual magazine. I think many people who have loyally subscribed to the same publication for years will agree that reading the same content from a computer screen just isn’t the same. According to the Magazine Publishers of America Magazine Handbook:

“Despite the abundance of online content, few consumers see the internet replacing the print versions of magazines in the next five years, according to new research from MediaVest.”

As a longtime magazine consumer, a student of magazines and as someone who aspires to enter the industry in the near future, I have confidence in the resilience of not only the American economy, but in the magazine industries’ ability to pull through these hard times, make necessary changes to ensure survival and to continue to be a sought after product for news and entertainment alike.

Mr. Hyphen 2008

On October 4, 2008, six Asian American male contestants battled for the title of Mr. Hyphen 2008. With talents like slam poetry, singing and hip-hop dancing-- not to mention the sleepwear segment-- the six contestants wowed the audience. Contestants represented charities such as API Legal Outreach and the Asian American Donor Program, At the end of the night, Aristotle Garcia was crowned Mr. Hyphen, taking home $1000 for his chosen charity, the Filipino American Arts and Exposition.

While Mr. Hyphen was a fun event for the community, it’s also a smart move for Hyphen Magazine. Subscriptions were sold to attendees at the price of $5 for three issues, and in the lobby there was a booth selling Hyphen T-shirts, stickers and other paraphernalia. (Free advertising!) But those were only the most obvious benefits that Hyphen received from throwing the event. One of a magazine’s most valuable assets is the sense of community it provides. Magazines are extremely tailored to a narrow demographic, and readers feel as though the magazine “gets” them and often identify closely with their magazine of choice. The Mr. Hyphen event brought together the magazine’s community-- in their case, young Asian American artists and activists-- and allowed them to participate in an event that catered to their interests and passions, building the connection between magazine and reader. On the outreach side, Hyphen partnered with two up-and-coming Asian American designers to produce the fashion segment of the show, and community leaders were brought in as judges, including Louisa Liu (Miss Asian America 2008) and Vincent Pan of Chinese for Affirmative Action. Add to that the friends and family of the contestants (who mostly fall within the target demographic, but may not be Hyphen readers) and all those people who are just interested in seeing hot Asian American men strut their stuff, and you have the perfect opportunity to showcase Hyphen’s energy and creativity to people outside its immediate pool of subscribers. The event brought together art, activism, famous faces and just plain old fun, and created an opportunity for Hyphen fans to connect with each other over their favorite magazine.

614 magazine set to launch in April

There are roughly 150,000 residents in the city of Columbus, Ohio between the age of 25 and 35 and not a single publication that truly caters to their interests. Two men have taken to the initiative to change that. On April 1, 2009, a free monthly magazine is set to debut. 614 magazine, representing the area code of Columbus, will serve as much more than a general interest magazine, making sure it’s niche of readers are indulging in the areas of arts and culture it covers.

Though this may not be the best of times for the debut of a new print magazine, the publishers seem to believe they have found ways to be successful. Wayne T. Lewis and Clark Gaines have produced a 104-page pilot that profoundly describes what 614 magazine is all about to potential advertisers. How else do they plan on making it? The publishers believe it is all about quality. As long as they are creating something with taste that is modern and clean, not to mention free, then it should very well take off successfully.



On the magazines website, 614columbus.com, potential readers are invited to bring their ideas to the table. People are being questioned as to what they would like to see and get out of the magazine. This is a trend taking off in the magazine industry. Lucia Moses, a senior editor covering the magazine industry, sees this type of shift in the editorial process in other magazines. For example, National Geographic readers can send in their own photos and then vote for which ones they believe should run in the magazine.

Lewis and Gaines have a few other tricks up their sleeves to get the ball rolling. Within the editorial staff, there is certified culinarian Angela Theado and Adventure Girl Stephanie Reighart. With the expertise of these two on staff, readers will be eager to fly high in the sky on a hang gliding mission and make it home just in time to throw a fabulous, elegant dinner party.

614 magazine is set to be distributed at over 250 locations that will inevitably fall into the hands of the target audience. There are also going to be stainless steel displays at over 100 of the set locations that will aid in driving 25,000 copies of the publication in the face of readers.

Despite the current economic situation, Lewis and Gaines are making an effort to grab readers in an exciting and unique way. There is a lot of faith in the future of 614 magazine and there seems to be no doubt in the minds of those behind this project that it will fail.

Play time is over

In March earlier this year, New York Times' quarterly sports magazine "Play," was a finalist for the prize in general excellence at the National Magazine Awards. Yet just nine months later, the final buzzer rang, and the clock ran out on Play in November.

First published in February 2006, Play along with "T Style" and "Key," were introduced with the intention of bringing in luxury goods advertising for the Times. This strategy however hasn't been very successful for Play, and according to some reports was "bleeding cash." While Mark Bryant, editor of Play, has repeatedly told reporters that the magazine has been breaking even, editorial director Gerry Marzorati said otherwise: "“It was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years and when you’re not going to see that turn around, that’s the problem."

In an attempt to separate itself from other sports magazine such as Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine, Play was much more focused on the artistic aspect of sports, especially in how they staged and composed their photographs. Their content was nuanced and off the beaten path, and offered something that most other sports magazine didn't. And yet despite the unique perspective and the circulation of nearly 1.6 million of the Sunday Times, it couldn't avoid the fate of so many other magazines, and was the first sports magazine in recent times to do so.

The shuttering of Play, has more to do with the newspaper industry than anything. With advertising and circulation falling for newspapers, the Times had to make cuts, and Play was just the first to go. While it is unclear whether other newspaper magazines will meet the same fate, it is clear that if those magazines don't bring in some sort of revenue soon, they will. The Wall Street Journal and the Philadelphia Inquirer launched luxury magazines this year, while the Boston Globe launched the "OT," a sports magazine centered on "Our Town, Our Team." We'll have to wait and see whether or not these new launches will be successful editorially and in bringing in revenue for these newspaper.

Hopefully Play, or another magazine in the same mold as Play, can find life apart from the the New York Times. It offered fresh insight and a different perspective into the world of sports. And hopefully with the right mix of capable leaders, it could bring in the kind of advertising that can keep it afloat.

Magazine and Book Have A Baby

In a first-quarter recession/obsession, let the journalist’s pre-New Year's resolution come in a tight little package of hope - "Never despair; but if you do, work on in despair," said philosopher Edmund Burke. Additionally, Mr. Magazine offers more than a glimmer of hope in his recent blog posting as he sites a post-9/11 New Yorker article poking a pin-hole of light in the end of the dark tunnel. Mr. Magazine writes, "For those of you who are feeling the pain of today’s economic crisis, you will find solace in reading James Surowiecki’s article titled Let the Bad Times Roll. Here is one quote from the article, ‘But history suggests that for new magazines hard times are good times.’”
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/09/03/010903talk_the_financial_page?printable=true

A majority of the major titles from Automobile Magazine to U.S. News and World Report keep one hand waving for help above the rising tide by launching on-line accompaniments to their print publication, but other publications are taking an alternative route – Book + Magazine = Bookazine.

Of which, the best example is recently folded alternative country music magazine out of Seattle befittingly titled No Depression. Previously published six times a year, No Depression relaunched as a bookazine and will now run two times a year in a paperback-bound, large-format read with no advertising and cost $20. In an interview with The News & Observer, “Dave Hamrick, associate director of UT Press, hopes that readers won't shy away from the higher cost, given the new format and its lack of advertising.” Magazines have long-time been collector’s items for their subscribers and Hamrick desires that the bookazine will encourage more cataloging.

Similar hopes surrounded the creation of Shell, a hair and beauty bookazine. The Times of Malta paints Shell as “a coffee-table book with a difference…a cross between an art publication and magazine content. It is 70 per cent pictorial, resulting from about 24 photo shoots, producing about 100 images.” Mastermind behind the bookazine, Pierre Camille, told reporter Fiona Galea Debono, "Unfortunately, so many good magazines end up in the bin..." But Shell should not have the same predicament.”

Bookazines not only spawn out of economic crisis, but also out of environmental consciousness. Loft, a Nordic bookazine offers a look into life-styles in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The quarterly publication boasts, “‘BOOKAZINE’ because we want to create something worth keeping.” Loft leads by example against the common current of reading disposable material contributing to global crisis and continual waste of irreplaceable resources. In an effort to create a timeless publication, Loft also works toward a sustainable future.

Bookazines are not a complete wave of the future. In 2008, Mother Earth News published its second bookazine in six years, Mother Earth News Bookazine: A Guide to Home Energy Savings, which is a collection of their informative articles. Likewise, Jaguar, Ferrari and Porsche have published bookazines with various publishing houses as their wing-men to catalog years of hot-rod excellence. Dennis Publishing released a FaceBook bookazine, following 15 previous publishings of similar nature on topics ranging from the Ipod to men's fitness.

This bookazine baby is another way magazine publishers are filling the glass half full. Mr. Magazine gives optimism again in his interview with David Carey, Group President at Condé Nast. Carey offers, “Out of these periods of time new ways of doing business emerges…new thinkers, new readers…”

MADE FOR YOU BY YOU

JPG magazine is a San Francisco based publication that is taking a new personal approach to what a photography magazine is by featuring photos and stories almost entirely from its online community of photographers, who can easily be you. Its tagline is “Your World in Pictures”, and that’s exactly what JPG is all about.

Celebrating its nineteenth issue and two year anniversary this month, the online community of photographers that JPG has created around the world is growing strong, showing the different ways that the internet is helping print magazine’s vision for itself expand. Photographers who sign up to be in JPG’s online community capture photos based on themes that the magazine has for a particular issue, and the photographers try to interpret those themes in their own distinctive way. For example, the most recent issue has themes of faith, delectables, and night time.

The whole process includes the photographers taking pictures, and then uploading their top photos on the magazine’s website, where the online community votes on their favorite ones. Then, the JPG editors look at the photos with the highest votes, and filter them down until they reach the most captivating, innovative images that best tie with the theme. Finally, the best of the best are proudly published into the magazine for thousands to marvel over. The photographers that are chosen get 100 dollars, a free subscription, and of course, bragging rights.

For their last twelve issues, they’ve had over a million photos submitted, and over 180,000 photographers in their online community. The photographers are from all over the world, having their top ten cities be London, at the top, followed by New York, San Francisco, Chicago, West Hollywood, Toronto, Brooklyn, Sydney, Seattle, and Melbourne. Having JPG take this approach to its publication is giving an opportunity for cross-country collaborating and building a close relationship with the magazine, giving people the feeling of being apart of something big.

Not to undermine the work that’s put in by the JPG staff, but the community of photographers are truly the heart of the magazine, while the staff are the ones who take care of the skin and bones of production. This approach to a photography magazine is different because other magazines on the newsstands with them are usually “how-to” guides on taking great pictures, how to use a certain type of software, or a catalog of new camera and gadgets. JPG does include tips on photography or special photo-related projects at the end, but isn’t their main focus.

Flipping through the pages of the magazine, you don’t only see amazing pictures, but you can also learn about those who are behind the lens and the subjects of the photos through the captions or interviews. The captions the photographers write either give a history or information on the photo and sometimes give an inside scoop of what it took for them to get that perfect shot.

Seeing all the different images and getting to know the little back stories from the photographers is like going on a mini vacation for only 5.99, because the photos are potentially shot of anything, anywhere at anytime. Just in their recent issue, you can see photos from Slovenia, Italy, Sri Lanka, and Puerto Rico.

For example, in their recent faith issue, someone going through the magazine can learn about different religions, ways of worship, sanctuaries, what parts of the world believe in what just by looking at the pictures and captions. JPG is amazingly a celebration of art, culture, people, and expression all in one trying to fully engage its audience through the power of imagery.

JPG’s tone and voice changes from issue to issue based on their themes, but range from hilarious to intimate, chilling to heart-warming. Opening JPG is the world through the eyes of the featured photographers, but gives other readers a chance to step inside a realm they’ve never seen before or change your own perspectives of looking at the world.

Check out their website at:
www.jpgmag.com
(Photos used in this blog were taken from the JPG website, and were submitted for the FAITH theme for the recent Dec/Jan issue)

Music Magazines: US v. UK

The United States has long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with England when it comes to music. Both nations have birthed the most influential bands and movements in rock history: England can claim The Beatles, we can claim Bob Dylan; England has London in 1977, we have San Francisco in 1967, and the list goes on. With two countries so steeped in rock 'n' roll history, it follows that both America and England should have magazines that reflect their home country's attitude toward popular music.

The grandfather of the genre is Rolling Stone. Before RS came along, music magazines were associated with fan clubs and screaming teenage girls. Rolling Stone was not originally intended as a magazine strictly about music; their philosophy from the beginning was to cover not only rock 'n' roll, but the ideals that it embodies. While their coverage can range from music to movies to politics to a series of small-town murders in a single issue, they are still thought of as the preeminent music magazine in the United States. When they do focus on music, they have a vast array to choose from. Rolling Stone has not only been around longer than most music magazines, but most magazines in general, and have gathered many different kinds of readers along the way. They have a wide range of and interests to appeal to, so they bounce back and forth between new and old acts from all types of genres.

First in sales figures, but still second in reputation, is Spin. A generation apart, Spin is Rolling Stone's rowdy son. Spin posesses a lot of the same ideals as Rolling Stone, but is clearly aimed at a younger generation. Spin focuses more sharply on music than Rolling Stone, filling each issue with entirely music-themed coverage, except for a few movie/game reviews or other notes on pop culture. Where Rolling Stone has grown with its original audience, Spin has always served college-age music lovers by embracing the same journalistic sensibilities that Rolling Stone made a name for itself on. Spin focuses on younger, newer musicians, and writes about them in a professional manner, but with a little more attitude and style than a Rolling Stone journalist might. Spin leans toward contemporary rock and hip-hop, and is devoted almost exclusively to new artists. When they do cover older musicians or ones from genres far outside the mainstream, they are ones that have influenced the here and now of music.

Things are different across the pond. The two top music magazines, Kerrang! and NME, are still stalled at the 'fan magazine' stage.

Published in the U.K. since 1952, NME (short for New Musical Express) is a weekly music magazine. Though the content can lean towards the sensational, NME is still thought of as the U.K.'s closest answer to Rolling Stone. The magazine is printed on newsprint, and the design is bold and in-your-face, but stylish. The site looks similar to the physical magazine, and is constantly updated the latest music news and gossip. NME magazine is also part of a larger empire, with television channels, radio stations, and even clubs bearing the magazine's name and logo.

Kerrang! is another popular music magazine in England. Though NME has tried to distance itself from its tabloid past with recent overhauls of design and content, Kerrang! has embraced it's rag-mag reputation. The difference in editorial content between the two magazines is vast, but their personalities are similar.

Kerrang! began as a heavy metal magazine in the early 1980s. Though they have expanded their coverage since then, traces of its hardcore roots can be seen in their choice of cover stories. The types of music they cover now is a little more eclectic, but Kerrang! still focuses on rock bands with a harder edge, be it in sound or attitude.

When it comes to layout, the magazine is classic tabloid: lots of capital letters and exclamation points, oversized pull quotes, and a "cut-and-paste" look about it. The coverage takes itself far less seriously than NME or any music magazine in the states. K! relies heavily on gossip to fuel their features, which are often not very long. Kerrang! is also more locally-focused than NME: while NME branches out to cover both national acts that have made it big and international acts whose popularity has spread to England, K! is more likely to put a band only known in the U.K. on the cover. The writers and editors of this magazine know that their readers don't come to them for revealing and poignant retrospective on My Chemical Romance's career. Kerrang! is aimed toward young people who just want to rock out and have fun.

America is once again experiencing a British Invasion, much of which can be attributed to these magazines. Bands heavily featured in British music magazines, like The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys, have crept onto the hipster rader in the U.S in the last five years. Though they are miles apart in terms of philosophies, these magazines all have the same ideal at their core: good music can change your life, but only if you know about it.

The Worst is Yet to Come

"2009 will be the cataclysmic year for sure," says Michela O'Connor Abrams, president and publisher of Dwell magazine in San Francisco.
After a year of drastic economic downturn that upended the already panicking magazine industry, the coming months will prove who stays and who goes in the already excruciating competition of magazine publishing.
It began with the lay offs, then quickly progressed to the downsizing and folding of several notable titles. CosmoGIRL, started in 1999 by the now editor of Seventeen (which is also struggling to stay afloat), will cease production at the end of the year. S.I. Newhouse decided to cut Men's Vogue back to a twice-a-year supplement to Vogue. In fact, Condé Nast -- famous for its glamorous personality and liberal expense accounts-- has been forced to scale back in more ways than one in response to the economy. Its employee holiday luncheon at NYC's Four Seasons Hotel was canceled, and rumors have been floating around that car service to shuttle the employees to and from work will be reined in as well.
Even the Vanity Fair Oscar party, the most extravagant and top tier of Oscar bashes, will be significantly downsized. "The party will be a much more intimate affair than in years past; we're going to scale back the guest list considerably," said editor Graydon Carter in an official press realease. "We'll celebrate Hollywood's big night the way we did when we first threw the party 15 years ago -- it will be a cozier, more understated event." Only the most A-list of the A-list stars will be invited…sorry, Tara Reid.
While the surreal office environment at Condé Nast gets a jolt of reality, one wonders if maybe the magazine industry had gotten a little too comfy with the clothing allowances and three martini lunches. Now that they've been brought back down to earth, it's the perfect moment for a little reflection on the next steps. It appears that one of the greatest challenges facing magazine publishing is how to reconcile the classic, glossy comfort of a print edition with the pressing need to go online. With advertisers surely hurting in this economy as much as the magazines themselves, it might be a more economical option to buy cheaper online ads. If only magazines could figure out a truly effective online advertising strategy.
While some magazines attempt to use the internet to draw in a larger audience, others are going up-market to grab the attentions of recession-proof millionaires and billionaires who didn't lose their shirts in investment banks. In the November 30 issue of The New York Times business section, reporter Stephanie Clifford wrote of magazines flaunting their luxury merchandise in a time of financial crisis. In fashion magazines, a new term has been coined -- Recessionista -- to describe the girl who stays chic and on-trend in the face of unemployment and a worthless stock portfolio. Instead of those $500 Jimmy Choos this holiday season, why not buy the comparable $300 version from Stuart Weitzman? Perhaps, to some, that really is a sacrifice.
If Michela O'Connor Abrams is right, and things just get exponentially worse, it might be for the best. The glut of magazines will be streamlined to halt some of the paper waste brought on by a men's, teen, and home version of so many major titles. And publishers might stop dragging their feet in creating an online business plan. Of course, none of that bodes well for those of us looking for jobs in magazine publishing.

Is Nothing Sacred? Magazine Covers from Election 2008

by Leticia Garcia

Just three weeks after the election, the images of president elect Barack Obama have not stopped appearing on magazine covers. Without a doubt, the frequency of political figures on covers have not changed since modern magazines were conceived, however it is the content that especially stood out this year. Since this has been most controversial presidential election in history, it is expected that the covers during this election would stand out to reflect the nation’s anticipation. We have seen the presidential candidates in so many different depictions ranging from Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama lounging naked on the cover of Radar to depicting Obama as a Superhero on Rolling Stone. With such bold magazine covers in print, the race became a media popularity contest with Barack Obama gaining the majority of the covers and, thus, the most outstanding characterizations.

Not only did the media take a lot of liberties with magazines this year, they also got into some pretty deep water this past July. The New Yorker’s July issue depicts in cartoon satire of Barack and Michelle Obama as Islamic terrorists in the Oval office with Osama bin Laden’s picture in the background. During the press release illustrator, Barry Blitt, insists that this "satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign." As a satire this cover goes beyond the usual political satirical realm to a completely slanderous level with shocked reactions from the Obama campaign and supporters alike. Obama campaign spokesman, Bill Burton called it “tasteless and offensive.” In such a media-driven campaign and the boldly opinionated covers that followed, it becomes a question as to how much freedom the publication media should get.

Since the start of the contemporary magazine, presidential candidates have taken the spotlight. Although not always shown in the most favorable light, these covers usually are mild and neutral. If the cover was “controversial” at best, it was with mild satirical drawings sometime with political party mascots in the background. Never was Franklin D. Roosevelt on the cover with a burning an American flag or naked. This was a first year for candidates to be depicted as a movie character, from Men in Black to Robert Neville from I Am Legend. Admittedly they portray such an obvious portrait of our society’s craving for an elaborate characterization behind a political figure.
There have always been solid sales with presidential covers, there have been connections drawn with print media coverage and election results.

According to Dr. Stuart Crane the next president will be the one with the most covers in the months leading up to the election. In the presidential election this year Obama was on the cover of Time alone 7 times versus McCain who only held 5 Time covers. So, if the number of magazine covers reflects the popularity of a candidate, then the characterization worth a thousand words. With such elaborate characterizations of Obama the presidency was a show of characters the population wanted from a candidate.

With an injured current economic standing, the presidential candidate cannot just be an image on the cover, but rather reflect a persona that will allow change. On the cover of Rolling Stone, Obama is standing at attention with a white aura surrounding him. Using the language of superheroes the cover gives the audience the feeling that he can indestructible and powerful. Post election Obama’s covers have become an homage to the history of powerful presidents. With Obama on the cover exactly as Franklin D. Roosevelt, there is hope for this president elects future. In reflecting an the recent covers, one cannot just hope that they will continue to be in a positive light and continue to inspire the hope of the country.

CosmoGirl! to Fold After December

Hearst Communications, Inc. president, Cathie Black, announced the closing of CosmoGirl!, last October. The end of this teen magazine indicates a sign of declining economic times, a shift in girls’ reading trends, or both. December will be the last issue.

Though nine-year-old CosmoGirl! was the largest newsstand selling, monthly teen magazine, ad pages fell 15.5% by October and circulation was down 1.4% at 1.4 million. Hearst folded three titles this year­. The first was Quick & Simple, a women’s service magazine, the second, CosmoGirl! and the third, O at Home. CosmoGirl! is also the third Teen magazine to close in the last few years, following Elle Girl of Filipacchi Media, and Teen People, of Time, Inc. in 2006.

Ad pages for Hearst’s Seventeen were down by 8.8% and Conde Nast’s Teen Vogue were down by 5.8%. CosmoGirl! had been in third place of these top three teen magazines. Mediaweek’s senior editor, Lucia Moses, attributes the drop in teen print magazines to the internet’s success in reaching readers’ needs.

Teen magazines aren’t the only genres struggling. “A magazine is folding every week and this will accelerate,”said Michela O’Connor Abrams, President and Publisher of Dwell magazine and chairperson of the American Magazine Conference. Other magazines cut back this year include Conde Nast’s Men’s Vogue and Filipacchi Media’s Home.

This fall marks ten years since Atoosa Rubenstein and team created CosmoGirl! Rubenstein was the youngest Editor in Chief in the history of Hearst Magazines. “I was 26 years old and felt that smart girls with attitude needed a magazine that spoke directly to them,” said Rubenstein. She created the CosmoGirl! logo on her bedroom floor with lipstick tubes, markers, and a glue stick.

CosmoGirl! publisher, Vicki Wellington will work on a new Food Network Magazine starting this month, and editor, Susan Schulz will also continue at Hearst, working on special projects. CosmoGirl!.com will continue and subscribers will receive Seventeen instead.

FIRST HALF 2008 AD PAGES %CHNG
CosmoGirl! 298.23 -14.5
Seventeen 376.84 -5.7
Teen Vogue 517.81 4.5

FIRST HALF 2006 AD PAGES %CHNG
CosmoGirl! 363.56 4.0
ElleGirl 387.14 18.2
Seventeen 440.09 -2.7
Teen People 302.19 -14.4
Teen Vogue 486.24 12.4

Sources: www.mediaweek.com, www.folio.com, www.myspace.com