Chapter 5 - Magazines

1. Go to a bookstore (not BYU's) and look at the different magazines.  Select one that appeals to a highly specialized audience (different from one of your own interests.) Read through the magazine and based on the magazine's content (including advertisements) prepare a description of the magazine's "typical reader." Give specific examples to justify your generalization.

The magazine I picked up was the Parenting magazine.  The magazine's "typical" reader would be someone who has children, more specifically, women who have young children.  The advertisements that were found inside were ads for laundry detergent, diapers/pull-ups, toddler snacks, baby lotions, etc.  The actual articles consisted of the how to's such as raising children, or healthy diets, or how to cut down on expenses, etc.  The cover alone, along with the large print of specific articles in the newspapers attracts those nurturing mothers.

2. What impact will/has the electronic media have/had on the magazine industry?

Personally, I feel that the electronic media hasn't really had an impact on the magazine industry.  People still want a magazine that they can actually touch and turn the pages of.  I know people who like to cut out the pictures, or cut out an article.  If it was all electronic, they wouldn't be able to do that.  I didn't even know that they even had electronic magazines, so that goes to show you how popular they are.  In the end, I think magazines will always be better when they are made of actual paper.