History of JournalismMagazines from the 80s

to the present day

Steve Windsor

My life as a hack

• After school while working “gap year” as teacher had first article published in Angling magazine (now defunct).

• Went to Keele University and University of Georgia in USA.

• Sold two articles to Angling magazine. Worked on university student magazine (Sports Editor).

• Failed to get into Cardiff School of Journalism on MA course!

• Contacted emap and was lucky that they had vacancy. Was invited to interview.

My life as a hack II

• Joined Trout Fisherman as “Senior Writer” (1980).

• Was probably first journalist with a degree in emap’s P’boro offices.

• Won writing awards.• Failed to get editor’s job (c.1984).• Became Features Editor under new editor.• Acting editor.• Editor Practical Fishkeeping (1990); Managing

Editor PFK and FKA.

• Associate Publisher.• General Manager.• Managing Director (pets titles).• Left Bauer 2008 after takeover.

A brief history of emap• 1947: Began as local newspaper company (but sold these off to Johnston Press 1996).• Launched and Angling Times 1953 and acquired Motor Cycle News (for £100) in 1956 –

everything else spun off from there.• Specialised in “hobby” consumer magazines and some trade related business-to business

titles.• Smash Hits launched 1978. Music, mens’, womens’ magazines in London.• 1984: Exhibition arm and business magazines launched. Formed their own distribution

company Frontline• 1990 Joint venture with Bayard Press in France.• 1991 Radio.• 1994 Emap bought a small title called For Him Magazine, converted it into FHM and turned

the men’s market upside down.• Grabbed 10% of the French market with the acquisition of Edition Mondiale and Hersant.• 1996: TV – bought The Box digital music channel.• 1997: Red launched for ‘middle youth’ women• 1998: Bought Petersen in USA

A brief history of emap II• Bought the Face and Arena magazines 1999.• FHM international title• 2001: Sold American titles• 2002: Heat reached 500,000 weekly sales. Closer launched • 2004: Zoo launched – first weekly for men• 2005: Grazia launched.• Alun Cathcart joins emap• Sold in two parts – b-to-b and consumer titles - in 2008 to Bauer for

£1.14b.• Once a ‘limited’ company - now owned by a German multi-billionaire. • Bauer has magazines in 16 countries; Bauer has the old emap offices

and magazines in Peterborough and London.

Emap/Bauer products• Women’s: Closer, GRAZIA, heat, more!, Pop, Yours • Men’s Entertainment: Empire, Kerrang!, Q, Mojo.• Men’s Lifestyle: Arena. Arena Homme Plus, FHM, Zoo• Equine: Your Horse• Gardening: Garden Answers, Garden News• Transport: Model Rail, Rail, Steam Railway• Football: Match!• Golf: Golf World, Today’s Golfer• Pets: Pet Product Marketing, Practical Fishkeeping• Angling: Angling Times, Improve your coarse fishing, Sea Angler, trout & Salmon,

Trout Fisherman • Motorcycling: Bike, Classic Bike, MCN, Performance Bikes, RiDE, What Bike?:• Motoring: Car, Classic Cars, Land Rover Owner International, Max Power, Parker’s,

Practical Classics • Automotive B2B: AM, Fleet News• Outdoor: Country Walking, Trail, Bird Watching• Photography: Digital Photo, Practical Photography• Lifestyle: Top Sante, Mother and Baby, Pregnancy & Birth

How magazines have changed and evolved

• Boom time years – what was right?• Black and white• Pages• What colour did• Specialist titles• Lifestyle versus specialist• The rise and fall and rise again of advertising • The magazine as brand• Staffing levels

Seminar items

• Lifestyle versus Specialist?• Where did emap go wrong?• London versus Peterborough• Careers

BREAK

Recent years

• Most magazines are seeing declining sales.• Only 10% of new magazines make it past the

first few months.• Magazines are closing (or amalgamating) almost

every day. • Magazines are operating with fewer and fewer

staff.• Journalists can no longer stand aloof from the

commercial aspects of the job.• Websites are getting better and better?

Growing problems

• Recession.• Who retails magazines and why it’s changing.• Shop bought or subscriptions?• Hobbies – fewer participants/more choice?• Reading is not listening or watching.• Raw materials costs rising.• Quality of information and exclusives.

The Web

• www.weareallinthepoo.com or “if only people would pay for the web all our troubles would be over”.

• The role of websites.• Citizen journalism• Fact or fiction

Today

• Why the journalist’s job has changed – the commercial factors.

• Magazine content and sales pressure.• Knowing your readers.• Spotting/predicting changes- speed.• Taking budgets seriously – where the money

comes from• Why ad. managers and editors hate each other:

Flatplans/reviews/a blame culture/the truth hurts…

Branding

• Many publishing houses now believe that it’s not enough to just be, to sell, a magazine.

• Brand extensions• Shows and exhibitions• (Sponsored) awards/product awards• Spin offs, one-offs, bookazines, magazines.• Selling branded products (What’s the problem

with this?)

Launching

There may be a gap in the market -but is there a market in the gap?

There is a gap in the market for Toe Nail Collector monthly.

There is NO market in the gap.There are around 3,000 magazine titles on the

British market – and falling… (they generate around £1.7billion in shop revenue).

Every year 1,000 magazines are proposed. Only 300 of these ever reach the newsstand; only

150 of these will last for a few years. (Comag)

Seminar topics

• Brand extensions?• Webazines?• Making money?• Where next for magazines?• Glamour versus a steady job?• Market opportunities?• How do we sell more magazines?