Week 1
This was the introduction to both the module and the tasks that we would be expected to carry out in order to complete it, including the deadline for the production of a “Yorkie” magazine. During the lecture and subsequent SOL time, the group looked at how the magazine industry is split by types of publication; consumer, customer, business to business and niche. We then individually analysed a magazine and shared our thoughts, this helped to look at how a number of different publications are put together and get a grasp of what our own magazine has the potential to look like.
As well as this there was a re-visiting of and evaluation of feature introduction writing, the task involved splitting into pairs and re-writing a story introduction in a new style. In my group we looked at creating a shocking effect, from an article covering a tragic story about an accident at a major US holiday park:
“264 steps, 168 feet of waterslide, 18 seconds of exhilaration; the cost of a 10-year-old’s life? The Schwab’s were enjoying a free family day out when tragedy befell their thrill-seeking son. Caleb’s brother eagerly awaited a crazy smile and twinkling eyes at the bottom of Verrückt, before a daydream turned into a nightmare and he was greeted instead by the screams of fellow spectators as they caught sight of his siblings’ corpse.”
Blog Questions:
- UK magazine market value –
- “The UK’s top 100 media companies have a combined revenue of £87bn, according to research by Deloitte.” – Press-Gazette
- The magazine print industry itself has a value of roughly £4bn according to IBIS World (some stats have been withheld due to a lack of membership).
- UK circulation –
- In total all magazines in the UK, across all media platforms have a monthly reach of 34,955,000 according to PAMC.
- The top three magazines by monthly circulation are (from the quarter commencing 17/09/18 on PAMC):
- Tesco Magazine (5,438,000)
- Radio Times (2,810,000)
- Waitrose Magazine (2,701,000)
Sector Trends
With most sectors that rely on print distribution struggling, there are still some print magazines that are doing well. For example, while Private Eye saw a decline of 1% in the last half of 2017, it has seen some of its highest readership figures ever in the last few years, despite the rise in popularity of online magazine content.