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.