New Topic. - History of Magazines and key terms.

Magazines first appeared in the UK in the 18th century (1700s.)
This was the first magazine in the UK.

It was not until the late 19th century / early 20th century that the mass media started to take off, with wide access to magazines and newspapers, which were easy to buy, and affordable.

This pre-dates radio and television (and later, the internet) as a mass form of communication, which allowed the media to speak to huge numbers of audiences.

Several of these early magazines still exist today, such as “Vanity Fair”

compared to today: 

• Any similarities / differences?

similarities: front cover, masthead, bottom text,

differences: the front cover is different, modern day has a model front cover, whereas the 1896 does not have a model as its front cover.

• Early conventions adopted?

• Representations?

Modern is more diverse, 1896 is not as diverse.

• Historical, social context

Types of magazines

Types / genres of magazines

• Lifestyle
• Hobbies: including gaming; technology; cars; sewing
• Sports
• Health and fitness
• Celebrities and entertainment
• Children’s
• Women’s magazines
• Men’s magazines
• Politics
• Literature
• Science and Nature
• Parenting

• Magazines lose on average 4% of circulation every year.

• Only 60 of 422 titles audited in 2015 grew in sales.

• Price-cuts and give-away copies help Cosmopolitan lead

growth in women's fashion and lifestyle titles

• In the UK, there are approximately 8000 magazine titles.

• TV Choice is the UK’s biggest selling title at 50p.

• The Radio Times costs £1.80 and claims to be the best.

key terms you HAVE to know

circulation number of copies a magazine sells

readership not just who buys a magazine but the total number of people likely to read it

mass audience readership on a very large scale

niche audience narrow group of readers with a particular interest

subscription where a reader pays for a set number of copies of a magazine in advance at a lower price and receives them by post

circulation number of copies a magazine sells

readership not just who buys a magazine but the total number of people likely to read it

mass audience readership on a very large scale

niche audience narrow group of readers with a particular interest

subscription where a reader pays for a set number of copies of a magazine in advance at a lower price and receives them by post.

Magazine distributions;

• consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. 
• Subsidiary
• International
• Rebranded into Time Inc.
• Formerly IPC media.
• American
• Newspapers
• 
  

• European-based media company, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, that manages a portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the world
• Publish magazines like Grazier, Empire

• Felix Dennis started in the magazine business in the late 1960s as one of the editors of the counterculture magazine OZ.
• Limited company -  the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company, Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee.

1. The INCOME for a magazine comes from both sales and advertising.  On average, advertising accounts for 70% of magazine income.
2. A magazine with a small CIRCULATION is more dependent on advertising than one with a large circulation.