Chapter 9 Knowledge Claims

which offered occasional investigative articles but covered a wide variety of topics aimed at a broad national audience.”

The book gives some examples of general interest magazines that still exist today – Reader’s Digest, Life, etc. It then goes on however to discuss the fall of general interest magazines. It seems that as many different media forms evolved (radio, television, print, etc) demand came for specialization that would satisfy the individual interests of consumers. In looking at all of the niche magazines of today, it is obvious that magazines are able to be very successful by specializing in certain interests.

2.) “The most widely circulated ‘elite’ magazine in the twentieth century was The New Yorker.”

The New Yorker was founded by Harold Ross in 1925 and openly catered to those of the upper-class. The magazine made no excuses for being “uppity” and found success in its venture to be the choice magazine for society’s upper-crust. I thought that it was interesting to read about the magazine because it seems that today so many forms of media are concerned with presenting themselves in a way that would offend any potential consumers. This case is interesting because I think that the fact that they were so adamant about being a magazine for only the elite, the elite were that much more interested in subscribing.

3.) “The advertising and sales department of a magazine secures clients, arranges promotions and places ads.”

In reading about the circulation and sales of magazines, I’ve learned that the main source of income for magazine publications is in the advertisements that companies pay to place in them. It could probably be said than that without the advertising and sales department of a magazine, the magazine would not be able to survive. You could have a staff of the greatest journalists and photographers of all time, but without the means to get the magazine funded and sold, it would never have the opportunity to be successful.