Magazines
The first magazines
The publication of various forms of leisure
reading, including picture books, song books, news sheets and calendars,
was commonplace throughout the 18th century. However, the term magazine
is generally acknowledged to have come into usage with the publication
in the 1730s of the Gentleman’s Magazine by Edward Cave. Its aim
was to entertain with stories of crime and romance. It soon proved popular,
not just for sale but for rental in public houses, coffee houses and barber
shops. The Lady’s Magazine, a female counterpart, was quickly published,
and magazines began to establish themselves as demand for the new style
of publication increased. The early magazines did not confine themselves
to leisure interests but were often political or religious in content.
For example The Pennsylvanian, published in America, ran articles
by Tom Paine calling for independence; later, in continental Europe, Nouvelles
de la Republique des Lettres espoused new political ideas that were
considered a threat to the established social order.
‘Taxes on knowledge’
The government of the time was so concerned
about the power of the media to influence public taste and opinion that
stamp duty was introduced in 1765 to curb the publication of printed sheets,
and a tax was levied on advertisements in such publications. These sustained
attempts to suppress the freedom of the press were met by large-scale avoidance
of stamp duty, and the ‘taxes on knowledge’ were later removed over a period
of years from 1853 to 1869. Curran and Seaton argue that this removal of
constraints on the press was not inspired by a desire to provide diversity
of opinion. Rather, it was a subtle means of linking the press to the social
order which simply led to more efficient means of social control and the
eventual demise of the radical press.
Expanding markets
In any event, the press expanded, fuelled
by a better-educated reading public, and mgazines that were more affordable
because printing technology allowed mass production. Taking their cue from
America, British publishers produced all-fiction magazines such as Romantic
Confessions and similar ‘penny dreadfuls’. General interest magazines
such as Answers, Titbits (Tit Bits from all the Most Interesting Books,
Periodicals and Contributors in the World), Home Chat, Comic Cuts and
Pearson’s
Weekly were also hugely popular. Early press barons like Northcliffe
used the profits from their magazines to support their wider press interests
as they built up their range of titles. They also successfully exported
news values between their magazine and newspaper interests. It was the
early press barons who shaped the public taste for murder, mayhem and scandal
as standard features of news content. Comic strips, an important feature
of many early newspapers, clearly owe their origins to early comics and
magazines.
The 20th century
The early 20th century saw new styles
of magazine such as Reader’s Digest which included edited versions
(digests) of articles and stories, and much later packaged these as part
of a marketing operation that included record and book clubs. International
editions followed the same formula, later developing subscription as a
means of ensuring a place in the competitive magazine market. Time and
Newsweek
were other American magazines with an enduring international appeal, like
Life
which traded on the quality of its pictures in a period when photography
was accepted as an art form and photojournalism was regarded as a means
of social commentary. Life used the slogan: ‘To see life, to see
the world; to witness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and
the gestures of the proud; to see strange things’. It had many imitators
(or, perhaps more kindly, admirers) such as Picture Post
and Illustrated
in Britain and Paris Match and Stern in Europe.
Magazines since 1945
The end of the Second World War saw a
further expansion of the market. New titles emerged to satisfy the needs
of increasingly affluent consumers who now had business and technical interests
as well as expanding leisure pursuits. Interestingly, the emerging broadcast
media - particularly television - were accommodated by the magazine industry
that began to produce publications which included listings, reviews and
background material. Later spin-offs would include comics based on television
characters, and magazines dedicated to specific topics or programmes such
as BBC Wildlife and Gardener's World.
Consolidation of ownership
The main feature of the magazine market
in recent years has been consolidation of ownership, as very large publishing
companies (such as IPC) have gathered more titles, much like the earlier
press barons. The key difference is that these companies have other business
interests, so they are never fully dependent on one form of media. A web
search will reveal the extent to which the big companies have other interests,
particularly media interests other than publishing magazines. The Guardian
Media Guide contains details of the sites run by all the main players
in the publishing business.
Advertising and regulation
The key to success for the big companies
is the advertising revenue generated by magazines, and the ability of specific
interest magazines to provide clearly-defined target audiences. In 1999,
ad spend in the British media amounted to £15.3 billion. According
to the Advertising Association the magazine sector accounted for 18.4%,
so there is a lucrative market for publishers to exploit. Not that there
is complete freedom to publish any material that will make money: there
are laws and regulations that affect magazines just are there are for other
media forms. The 1955 Children’s and Young Person’s Publication Act, The
Obscene Publications Act, libel law, copyright law and advertising regulation
all act as constraints or reminders for the publishing industry.
References
2000 The Media Guide edited by
Steve Peak and Paul Fisher (Fourth Estate)
2001 The Media Guide edited
by Steve Peak and Paul Fisher (Fourth Estate)
A decade on the streets Simon
Rogers and Xan Brooks, in Media Guardian September 10 2001
Power Without Responsibility
(5th edition) by James Curran and Jean Seaton (Routledge)
For teachers, see Teaching
about magazines
© Gerry Connor 2001
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