At the same time,more than half“strongly agree”(13%)or“agree”(43%)with the assertion that city magazines might do more in-depth exposes on local issues,but they have found that most readers would rather read about people,lifestyles,entertainment,food,travel,and sex.A fourth(25%)disagreed with this contention;12%said they do not know,and 7%did not answer.More than two-thirds of the respondents in 1979 agreed with this contention.Possible Trends.Editors identified several possible trends in the 1990s.Most(82%)cited extensive use of free-lance articles as a trend.More than half cited the fact that city magazines are being published in smaller cities than in the past and that they are providing in-depth coverage of local issues and self-help information for readers.More than a third cited providing an alternative viewpoint to that of the local newspaper(s)and the use of editorials to address local issues.Smaller percentages cited the increasing acquisition of city magazines by large media concerns and increasing ownership of city magazines by local newspapers.Providing in-depth coverage of local issues and using editorials to address local issues were both mentioned in 1979.
Many might also agree with the contention of one editor that universal trends are difficult to identify and confirm because the city magazines vary so greatly-“from chamber puff rags to aggressive,hip urban journals,and everything in between.”
Summary and Conclusions
1.City magazines are a diverse group of publications that serve many functions,but they are similar in areas such as form of ownership,circulation frequency,sources of revenue,and overall approach to content.Almost 90%are privately owned,almost two-thirds are published monthly,and virtually all depend on circulation and advertising for revenues.More than 90%use personality sketches and letters to the editor,and more than 80%use feature pictures,lists of activities,and an editor's column.
2.City magazines have continued to emphasize some of the same major functions in the 1990s as they did in the late 1970s.More than 90%still provide information about living in the city,lifestyles,food,travel,and entertainment,and more than 80%still point out community problems and needs.More than half still seek to provide an alternative viewpoint to that of the local newspaper,and many still encourage local business and tourism.It should be noted,however,that the percentage that see promotion of business and tourism as an important function of city magazines has fallen below 50%.Editors today are also less likely to agree that city magazines avoid controversial issues that might upset members of the power structure;less than half agreed in 1993 as compared with almost two-thirds who agreed in 1979.
3.Most city magazines could serve as alternatives to local newspapers because they have differing philosophies from the newspapers,they have potential for in-depth reporting,and their generally affluent audiences,if appropriately motivated,could make a difference in the community.Only 22%share the same philosophy as the principal newspaper in the community;in 13%both are middle of the road;in 7%both are liberal,and in 2%both are conservative.The most frequent combinations are middle of the road magazine and liberal newspaper,21%,and middle of the road magazine and conservative newspaper,20%.More than half of the magazines identified themselves as middle of the road(55%)rather than liberal(20%)or conservative(9%).The others declined to identify with any of the three.More than half(54%)said their magazines provide an alternative viewpoint to that of the local newspaper,and 43%identified providing an alternative viewpoint to that of the local newspaper as a trend in the field.
4.Although lifestyle information appears to dominate the pages of many city magazines,many also are providing information about business and local issues such as education,crime,health and the environment.More than 90%said they had provided business information in the previous year;more than half said they often provide information about local issues,and almost a fourth said they occasionally do so.Almost half indicated that 10%to 20%of their editorial content is devoted to reporting and commenting on local needs and issues.
5.Some of the magazines are providing benchmarks for their readers and exercising civic leadership by taking stands on issues.Almost a third said they often take stands on local issues through editorials,columns,or other labeled commentary;slightly more than a fourth said they do so occasionally.More than half said they believe their commentary has influence on readers.While only 9%said they believe it has“much influence,”only 2%said they don't believe it has any influence.About 40%said they did not know or did not answer.
6.Editors may feel that their own publications have broader representation,but almost four-fifths agreed with the statement that city magazines are written primarily for persons who are well-educated,upper middle class,and most often white.More than half agreed that city magazines could best be described as attractive urban service and entertainment guides.
7.The division of the magazines into three circulation groups produced some interesting findings.For example,the editors of the two smaller magazine groups said they feel more freedom to comment on issues and are more likely to take stands on them.More than two-thirds of those in the smaller circulation groups but only half of those in the large circulation group said they feel very free or free to comment on issues.More than two-thirds of the small circulation group and more than three-fifths of the medium circulation group but less than half of the large circulation group said they often or occasionally take stands on issues.
8.Magazines in the middle circulation group are more likely to see themselves as alternatives to newspapers;60%do as compared with 50%in each of the other groups.They are less likely to accept the statement that city magazines can best be described as attractive urban service and entertainment guides;only 44%of them agree with the statement as compared with 68%in the small circulation group and 56%in the large circulation group.They are less likely to accept the statement that city magazines often use hard hitting articles that provide information on local issues;only 44%of them agree as compared with 68%in the smaller circulation group and 69%in the larger circulation group.They allocate a higher percentage of editorial space to reporting and commentary on issues;more of them can be found devoting more than the 10%to 20%of space allocated by most of the magazines.
