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Chapter 09: Essay
Essay
1. Explain the role of early magazines in America’s political and social shift from British colony
to independent nation.
ANSWER:
During the colonial period, magazines predominantly served politicians, the
educated, and merchant classes. This was very similar to the early role of
newspapers. The primary difference was their coverage and documentation of a new
nation dealing with issues of taxation, state versus federal power, Indian treaties,
public education, and the end of colonialism. The first colonial magazines appeared
about fifty years after the first newspapers. The first magazines faced complications
with circulation and postal obstacles. The most successful magazines, rather than
reprinting what had already been in the newspapers, reported on European events by
simply reprinting from leading London periodicals. These magazines helped rally the
colonies against British rule. While the early magazines were unimpressive, they did
launch a new medium that would later catch on.
2. What role did magazines play in social reform in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries?
ANSWER:
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, magazines took on a new
role. While early magazines were overtly religious, the focus shifted in the late
nineteenth century. Literary magazines emerged, establishing the work of important
writers such as Henry David Thoreau and Mark Twain. Specialty magazines also
began to surface. People could now find magazines attributed to various professions,
lifestyles, and topics. These included magazines such as American Farmer, the
American Journal of Education, and Medical Repository. Specialty magazines
connected with readers who shared a profession, set of beliefs, or social identity.
While specialty magazines were on the rise, the first general-interest magazine—the
Saturday Evening Post—was developed to target a national audience. The Post
started as many other magazines did—by borrowing content from other publications.
Eventually the Post began incorporating news, poetry, essays, play reviews, and
more. It was also the first magazine to appeal directly to a female audience with a
specialty column, “Lady’s Friend.”
3. What are the typical characteristics of a general-interest magazine? What types of content
would you expect to see in such a magazine?
ANSWER:
General-interest magazines were the most prominent publications following World
covered topics that would lend a hand to reaching a broader national audience. High-
quality photos gave general-interest magazines a leg up over radio, which was the
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Chapter 09: Essay
4. When and why did some of the major general-interest magazines fail?
ANSWER:
The decline of general-interest magazines began in the 1950s. Poor management has
taken the blame from some critics, but much more came into play. Magazines were
dying even when they had circulations of four million and brought in significant
revenue from advertisements. These general-interest magazines lost footing due to
changing consumer tastes, rising postal costs, and falling ad revenues. The biggest
culprit, however, was the new family-favorite medium, television.
5. What are some of the advantages that online versions of magazines have over print versions?
ANSWER:
With the rise of technology, consumers are almost constantly staring at a screen,
whether it be a television, a cell phone, or a computer. This makes online versions of
magazines regularly accessible. Online versions cut back on printing costs for
publishers while being more portable and convenient for readers. Use of the Internet
and social media has affected circulation numbers to an astronomical degree. While
the industry and audience are changing rapidly, monthly brand audience for online
magazines continues to increase. The magazine industry continues to adapt to the
changing environment by finding audiences across print, digital, desktop/laptop web,
mobile web, and video magazine content. These platforms have allowed magazines
to expand.
6. How are some online-only magazines trying to reinvent the idea of a magazine?
ANSWER:
Some online-only magazines are trying to reinvent the idea of a magazine by giving
online magazines more functionality. Rather than readers simply accessing content,
some online-only magazines allow readers to go one or many steps further. For
example, Allrecipes provides a place for readers to search for recipes, watch
demonstration videos, see which local grocer has the cheapest ingredients, and much
more. This site delivers not only content but allows readers to find as much
information as they want, all from one source. Lonny is another example, as it allows
consumers to flip through digital pages of the magazine and then click on items for
purchase without having to look for items on an external site.
7. In what ways do magazines serve democratic ideals?
ANSWER:
As an industry, magazine publishing—like advertising and public relations—has
played a central role in transforming the United States from a producer society to a
consumer society. Since the 1950s, though, individual magazines have not had the
powerful national voice they once possessed, uniting separate communities around
important issues such as abolition and suffrage. Today, with so many specialized
magazines appealing to distinct groups of consumers, magazines play a much-
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Contemporary commercial magazines provide essential information about politics,
society, and culture, thus helping us think about ourselves as participants in a
democracy.
8. Why is the muckraking spirit—so important at the turn of the twentieth century in popular
magazines—generally missing from magazines today?
ANSWER:
These magazines have often identified their readers as consumers first and citizens
second. With magazines growing increasingly dependent on advertising, and some of
them being primarily about the advertising, controversial content sometimes has
difficulty finding its way into print. Increasingly, magazines are defining their
readers merely as viewers of displayed products and purchasers of material goods.
Completion
1. _______ competed against Benjamin Franklin for the first colonial magazines in Philadelphia.
ANSWER:
Andrew Bradford
2. _______ published the work of writers such as Emerson, Thoreau, and Twain.
ANSWER:
The North American Review
3. _______ became the longest-running magazine in U.S. history.
ANSWER:
The Saturday Evening Post
4. The _______ championed women’s property rights.
ANSWER:
Ladies’ Magazine
5. _______ investigated patent medicines.
ANSWER:
Collier’s
6. _______ investigated Chicago’s meatpacking industry in The Jungle.
ANSWER:
Upton Sinclair
7. _______ took on the Standard Oil Company.
ANSWER:
Ida Tarbell
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8. A style of early-twentieth-century investigative journalism, _______ refers to reporters
crawling around in society’s muck to uncover a story.
ANSWER:
muckraking
9. A type of magazine that addresses a wide variety of topics, _______ magazines are aimed at a
broad national audience.
ANSWER:
general-interest
10. Salon is an example of a magazine that appears exclusively _______.
ANSWER:
online
11. _______ typically publish human-interest stories, celebrity gossip, and crime stories that
push the limits of decency and credibility.
ANSWER:
Supermarket tabloids
12. In _______, national magazines include a few pages of ads purchased by local or regional
companies.
ANSWER:
split-run editions
13. Editions of national magazines whose advertising is tailored to subscribers according to
occupation, class, and zip-code address are called _______ editions.
ANSWER:
demographic
14. _______ are unique versions of magazines that can be sent to specific subscriber groups.
ANSWER:
Demographic editions
15. _______ subscriptions automatically renew on a credit card account unless subscribers
request that the automatic renewal be stopped.
ANSWER:
Evergreen
16. In terms of ownership, the commercial magazine industry most closely resembles the
_______ business, which patterned its specialized channels on the consumer magazine market.
ANSWER:
cable television
17. _______ is a term used to describe self-published magazines.
ANSWER:
Zines
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Multiple Choice
1. The word magazine comes from the French term magasin, meaning “storehouse.”
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
2. In what might be the earliest example of media synergy, some of the first magazines in France
were collections of works taken mostly from newspapers.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
3. The first magazines in America were edited for the working classes.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
4. The first colonial magazines—published by Andrew Bradford and Benjamin Franklin—
enjoyed instant success and continued for several years.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
5. The first magazines primarily offered entertainment news and gossip.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
6. Specialized magazines were published in America throughout the nineteenth century.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
7. Some of the most influential magazines of the nineteenth century were targeted at women.
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a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
8. By the end of the nineteenth century, some magazine prices actually went down—from thirty-
five cents to ten cents.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
9. Production costs and reduced distribution forced magazine publishers to raise magazine prices.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
10. Muckraking journalists exposed corruption and abuses in the oil, meatpacking, and patent
medicine industries.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
11. President Theodore Roosevelt criticized magazine journalists who exposed corruption in
government and business by calling them muckrakers.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
12. The Saturday Evening Post continued the muckraking tradition—especially by criticizing
business corruption—into the 1920s.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
13. For many years Reader’s Digest was the most popular magazine in the world.
a.
True
b.
False
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ANSWER:
a
14. Life magazine was able to compete with the popular radio programs of the 1930s and 1940s
by running popular fiction, first-person news reports, and other text-based features.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
15. Collier’s and Woman‘s Home Companion failed in the 1950s because of poor management.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
16. TV Guide succeeded, in part, because it was readily available at the nation’s supermarket
checkout lines.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
17. In a desperate attempt to compete with television in the late 1960s, the Saturday Evening
Post and Life cut their cover prices and thereby increased circulation by millions of copies.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
18. Women’s magazines, such as Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Day, survived the
competition for ad dollars better than magazines like Life and Look.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
19. The magazine industry continues to shun the Internet because of its threat to printed journals.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
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20. Given the costs of paper, printing, and postage, and the flexibility of the web, mobile devices,
and social media, magazines are increasingly being distributed across multiple digital formats.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
21. Online magazines such as Salon and Slate have opened new doors for online journalism.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
22. Specialized magazines outside the mainstream publish information and viewpoints for
readers not served by other media channels.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
23. Until Playboy entered the marketplace, most large-circulation magazines had conventional
values.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
24. In an attempt to create new interest in the magazine, Playboy announced it would no longer
publish nude photos beginning in 2016.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
25. To avoid offending readers, Sports Illustrated does not publish investigative articles.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
26. The AARP Bulletin and AARP The Magazine have the largest circulations of any U.S.
magazines.
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a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
27. The New Yorker was the first city magazine aimed at a national upscale audience.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
28. Supermarket tabloids, considered a type of magazine, push the limits on both decency and
credibility.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
29. The circulation of tabloid newspapers such as the National Enquirer declined after a peak in
the 1980s.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
30. Almost all magazines offer 25 to 50 percent rate discounts to advertisers.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
31. The average magazine contains about 40 percent ad copy and 60 percent editorial material.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
32. Magazines survived the coming of television in part by developing demographic and regional
editions.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
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33. Split-run editions allow national magazines to tailor ads to different geographic areas.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
34. Demographic editions of national magazines are tailored to the interests of different
geographic areas.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
35. Demographic editions of national magazines are able to charge higher rates for advertising.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
36. The typical consumer magazine distributes far more copies through newsstand sales than
through subscriptions.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
37. Evergreen magazine subscriptions are those that are automatically renewed on the
subscriber’s credit card.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
38. By 2018, combined print and digital editions accounted for about 51 percent of the magazine
audience.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
39. Large companies are increasingly beginning to dominate the magazine business.
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a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
40. Alternative magazines—such as the Progressive and the National Review—have historically
defined themselves in terms of gender and race.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
b
41. Zines are typically noncommercial, self-published magazines.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
42. With so many specialized magazines appealing to distinct groups, magazines today don’t play
as strong a role in creating a sense of national identity.
a.
True
b.
False
ANSWER:
a
43. Early European magazines were oriented toward
a.
broad political commentary.
b.
discussions of women’s issues.
c.
medical and health advice.
d.
hunting and fishing tips.
ANSWER:
a
44. Like the partisan newspapers of the time, magazines served all of the following EXCEPT
a.
politicians.
b.
the educated.
c.
children.
d.
the merchant classes.
ANSWER:
c
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45. In 1828, Sarah Josepha Hale started the first magazine directed exclusively to a female
audience, called
a.
Godey’s Lady’s Book.
b.
Harper‘s.
c.
Youth’s Companion.
d.
Ladies’ Magazine.
ANSWER:
d
46. Which of the following was NOT a factor in the dramatic growth in magazine circulation
around the end of the nineteenth century?
a.
high postal rates
b.
advances in mass-production printing
c.
lower cover prices
d.
dramatic growth of drugstores and dime stores
ANSWER:
a
47. Who wrote “History of the Standard Oil Company,” first serialized in McClure’s Magazine?
a.
Ida Tarbell
b.
Upton Sinclair
c.
Joseph Pulitzer
d.
Nellie Bly
ANSWER:
a
48. The term muckraker
a.
was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt because he was angry about all the
negative reporting.
b.
described investigative reporters who only wrote about American institutions in a
positive light.
c.
was seen as an insult by leading investigative reporters.
d.
described reporters who wanted to write in the simplistic and conventional style of
newspaper journalism.
ANSWER:
a
49. Who wrote The Jungle, a fictional account of Chicago’s meatpacking industry?
a.
Lincoln Steffens
b.
Ida Tarbell
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c.
Tim Allen
d.
Upton Sinclair
ANSWER:
d
50. Which of the following is NOT a result of muckraking journalism in magazines around the
start of the twentieth century?
a.
antitrust laws for increased government oversight of business
b.
the creation of government oversight of food and drugs
c.
a progressive income tax
d.
a drop in the attention paid to the plight of immigrants in big cities
ANSWER:
d
51. One of Cyrus Curtis’s strategies for reinvigorating the Saturday Evening Post was to
a.
appeal to farmers.
b.
romanticize American virtues through images like Norman Rockwell paintings.
c.
denigrate American values.
d.
continue the muckraking tradition.
ANSWER:
b
52. Which magazine was the foremost outlet for photojournalism in the mid-twentieth century?
a.
Life
b.
the North American Review
c.
the Nation
d.
the Saturday Evening Post
ANSWER:
a
53. Which of the following statements about general-interest magazines is FALSE?
a.
They became popular starting in the mid– to late nineteenth century.
b.
With one or two exceptions, they had mostly gone out of business by about 1910.
c.
Television played a big role in signaling the demise of general-interest magazines.
d.
Photojournalism was a key aspect of general-interest magazines.
ANSWER:
b
54. One of the reasons for TV Guide‘s popularity was that
a.
its first issue featured Elvis.
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b.
it offered lurid commentary about TV stars.
c.
it was initially free.
d.
many newspapers hadn’t yet started publishing TV listings.
ANSWER:
d
55. Media baron Rupert Murdoch bought TV Guide in 1988 because
a.
it was one of the world’s most profitable magazines.
b.
he wanted to ensure that programs for his Fox network would be listed.
c.
he wanted to change the magazine’s liberal editorial policy.
d.
he enjoyed reading the magazine.
ANSWER:
b
56. Which of the following is NOT a reason why Life and Look magazines went out of business
in the early 1970s?
a.
Their paid circulation had plummeted, with the magazines falling out of the Top 10
magazines in the nation.
b.
Advertisers were shifting their money toward television.
c.
Postage rates had increased for oversized magazines.
d.
They had relatively small supermarket sales.
ANSWER:
a
57. Which popular magazine was launched in 1974 by Time Inc.?
a.
Sports Illustrated
b.
the Saturday Evening Post
c.
People
d.
Life
ANSWER:
c
58. Which of the following did NOT contribute to the success of People?
a.
an oversized format
b.
downsizing
c.
celebrity-based content
d.
plenty of photos
ANSWER:
a
59. An example of a magazine that was conceived as online only is
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a.
Time.
b.
TV Guide.
c.
Entertainment Weekly.
d.
Slate.
ANSWER:
d
60. _____ has a large print circulation, with digital versions, social media pages, and video.
a.
Entertainment Weekly
b.
Wired
c.
Wonderwall
d.
Salon
ANSWER:
b
61. Claiming twenty million unique monthly visitors, _____ is a leading online magazine.
a.
Salon
b.
Slate
c.
Wonderwall
d.
Wired
ANSWER:
a
62. Online-only and online versions of magazines are
a.
having trouble attracting an audience.
b.
more expensive to produce and distribute than printed versions.
c.
able to add interactive components to their articles.
d.
struggling with space limitations in the online format.
ANSWER:
c
63. One example of the way in which Lonny, an online magazine, is different from a print
magazine is that it
a.
features interactive 3-D models.
b.
allows readers to click on an item on a digital page and be taken to an online store
where they can purchase it.
c.
features video and audio.
d.
uses an innovative layout that is only possible online.
ANSWER:
b
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64. Which of the following was NOT a magazine linked to membership?
a.
AARP The Magazine
b.
Costco Connection
c.
AARP Bulletin
d.
O: The Oprah Magazine
ANSWER:
d
65. Which of the following is an example of a consumer magazine?
a.
Progressive Grocer
b.
Dakota Farmer
c.
Dairy Herd Management
d.
O: The Oprah Magazine
ANSWER:
d
66. Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine became an instant success, thanks in part to
a.
an expensive TV ad campaign.
b.
sending free copies to one million male college students.
c.
articles that criticized divorced and working women.
d.
a nude calendar reprint of Marilyn Monroe.
ANSWER:
d
67. Which of the following is true about the magazine Sports Illustrated?
a.
It is an example of a general-interest magazine.
b.
It is never criticized for its annual swimsuit edition.
c.
It is never credited with major investigative reporting.
d.
It was originally aimed at well-educated, middle-class men.
ANSWER:
d
68. The top children’s magazine in 2018 was
a.
Ranger Rick.
b.
Maxim.
c.
Boy’s Life.
d.
Highlights for Children.
ANSWER:
d
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69. Among magazines that target audiences by age, the most dramatic recent success has come
from those aimed at
a.
children.
b.
tweens.
c.
young adults.
d.
adults over fifty.
ANSWER:
d
70. Of the following magazines, which has the largest circulation in the United States?
a.
Maxim
b.
AARP The Magazine
c.
Time
d.
Reader’s Digest
ANSWER:
b
71. Which of the following is true about minority-targeted magazines?
a.
They have a history dating back to before the Civil War, with titles like Emancipator
and Reformer.
b.
They have a history dating back to the first half of the twentieth century, with titles
like Negro Digest and Ebony.
c.
Minority-targeted magazines cover only racial minorities.
d.
They were popular during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s but have
mostly gone out of business since then.
ANSWER:
a
72. _____ is the most successful English-language publication for Hispanic women.
a.
Latina
b.
Essence
c.
Vanidades
d.
ESPN Deportes
ANSWER:
a
73. Within the magazine publishing industry, the department that produces the non-advertising
content of a magazine is known as the
a.
advertising and sales department.
b.
production and technology department.
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c.
editorial department.
d.
circulation and distribution department.
ANSWER:
c
74. A magazine’s rate card lists
a.
what it costs to advertise in the magazine.
b.
how often the magazine is published.
c.
the price of a one-, two-, or three-year subscription.
d.
how much the magazine pays its freelance writers.
ANSWER:
a
75. Advertisers frequently pressure magazines to publish
a.
gatefold covers.
b.
more complimentary copy.
c.
investigative stories.
d.
color photos.
ANSWER:
b
76. A main purpose of split-run and demographic editions of magazines is to
a.
move the magazine industry back to more general-interest publications.
b.
make sure that local and regional companies are cut off from advertising in nationally
distributed magazines.
c.
create fewer places for advertisers to spend their money.
d.
attract more targeted advertisers and compete with television advertising.
ANSWER:
d
77. A national magazine with regional editions
a.
tailors ads to different age groups.
b.
contains different stories for different geographic regions.
c.
relies solely on subscription sales.
d.
relies solely on newsstand sales.
ANSWER:
b
78. Split-run editions are
a.
magazines that publish two issues a month.
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b.
a new ownership strategy—such as when Bertelsmann bought Random House.
c.
magazines that reserve ad space for local or regional ads.
d.
national magazines that tailor their content for specific groups of readers.
ANSWER:
c
79. Within the magazine publishing industry, the department that typically monitors single-copy
and subscription sales is known as the
a.
advertising and sales department.
b.
circulation and distribution department.
c.
table of contents department.
d.
editorial department.
ANSWER:
b
80. In terms of ownership structure and business models, the magazine industry has the most in
common with which other form of mass media?
a.
book publishing
b.
the recording industry
c.
the Internet
d.
cable television
ANSWER:
d
81. Magalogs are
a.
magazines exposing government corruption.
b.
transforming the United States from a producer society to a consumer society.
c.
limited-distribution publications.
d.
giving a voice to ordinary American citizens.
ANSWER:
c