• Plan about what the magazine is to be.
  • The kinds of information, articles and features to be included in each issue.
    • The mixture of editorial material.
    • Content that establishes its personality.
  • The continuing, long-range editorial concept to be expressed as specific kinds of content or topics.
• How this material will be presented.
  • Editing with consistency.
• Three major components:
• 1. Departments,
• 2. Articles within departments,
• 3. General content.
  
  
  

Departments

• Continue from issue to issue.
  • Reason: reader familiarity.
• Columns, with bylines or topical, can function as departments.
• Departments are vital to a magazine.
  • Intended to capture issue-to-issue attention.
• Creating or dropping departments require careful thought and research.
  
  

This is a page from a design magazine. The department, The Color Wheel, features articles on the use of colours in publications. Notice how the color wheel is used to identify articles within the Color Wheel department.

• Communication Goals
• Typical goals upon which objectives built:
• Inform employees of company news, policies;
• Explain and interpret company policies in terms of employees’ interests;
• Develop pride in their jobs and their company;
• Develop loyalty to the company.
• Help improve the company's efficiency and cut down on wasted materials and time.
  
  
  
  

• For shareholders not active in management
  • but interested in earnings, dividends and general position of company within the field.
• Content trends:
  • Important issues and what the company is doing in relation to them
    • Environment
    • Economy
    • Marketing position and strategies
  • Two major functions:
    • To inform readers about the company & industry;
    • To win or hold readers' approval of management's activities and policies.
  • Several stockholder magazines have broadened their scope of coverage
    • Issued to customers and the general public.
    • Usually contain more general features not directly related to company.
  • Annual report is not a periodical.
    • It is mandated by securities laws.
      • Financial portion is specified by law.
    • Other parts of magazine often slick PR tool.
      
      
• Member magazines

Similar to employee and shareholder magazines Issues and trends What other members, chapters are doing Motivate and inspire Gain and maintain support Build loyalty



• Operationalizing Formula
• Formula implies long-range plans that must be operationalized
• What kinds of pieces will run in each of next several issues.
  • Work several months ahead.
  • Right article at right time.
    • Hallmark magazine at has content about holiday cards eight months in advance so merchants can plan for seasons.

• Objectives

• Translating objectives into specific articles
• Articles that will meet objectives is a major challenge of writing and editing.
• Editor must keep records of
  • article ideas and assignments made for each issue.
  • progress made toward objectives.
• Editor must report progress made at objective’s deadline for accountability.
  
  
  
• Balancing Content
  • In fulfilling formula and objectives, must balance content
    • both within one issue and over a long period of time (two to five years).
    • Readers like variety; quickly turned off by monotony in topics or content.
  • The formula plans balance of content.
    • Broken into percentages.
  • Management World
    • Over one year,
    • general management trends and practices—30%;
    • human resources management topics—20%;
    • information systems management — equipment and procedures—25%;
    • new products, services, publications—25%.
  • Hospitals over one year
    • 27%: administration and professional practice;
    • 18%: finances and economics;
    • 17%: news;
    • 9%: purchasing and product information,
    • 8%: planning and construction;
    • 7%: technology;
    • 6%: support services; and 8%: other topics.
      
  • PR magazine for employees or members may have a general formula and balance:
    • 30-40% organisation news and features,
    • 20-40% general (non-organisation) features;
    • 5-30% employee/member/chapter news;
    • 5-25% employee/member participation and opinion.
      
  • Some editors record the amount of each type of article for computing percentages
    • for each issue and
    • the year-to-date.
  • Some keep lists or charts of
    • the kinds of content,
    • the article types, titles & amounts for each issue,
    • cumulative figures for the year.
      
• Balance involves
  • 1. variety;
  • 2. breadth of coverage;
  • 3. consistency; and
  • 4. purpose.
    
• Variety in types of content. Mixtures of:
  • heavy v. light articles;
  • human interest v. serious articles;
  • text v. illustration;
  • long articles v. short ones;
  • company news v. general features.
    
• Breadth of coverage: Must cover a broad range of topics of interest to readers:
  • recurring themes,
  • routine material,
  • new ideas and developments.
    
• Consistency: New ideas to go along with blend of standard or traditional fare
  • January issue may have income tax tips;
  • March may have gardening tips;
  • July may have back-to-school shopping tips.
  • From time to time introduce unexpected features.

• The Reader
  • 1. People tend to read, look at, and listen to material they already are interested in.
    • If a reader is interested s/he will plod through the most tiresome prose and layout to get the information.
    • Those with no interest are a poor target.
    • Many information campaigns have failed because readers' interests were overlooked.
  • 2. People tend to read and listen to material they agree with and to avoid material they disagree with.
    • People tend to interpret or misinterpret disagreeable material to conform to what they already believe.
  • 3. People tend to check their opinions with opinion leaders.
    • People find opinion leaders at their own level
    • People have different authorities for advice on different subjects.
    • Intricate network of personal influence & media.
    • Multi-step flow; web of influence.
  • 4. People tend to check their opinions and attitudes against those of the groups to which they belong.
    • Attitudes with anchors in a group are hard to change.
  • Content and reader-interest are most crucial aspects.
    
    
    
• Magazines & Society
  • The nature of magazines makes them ideal for
  • introducing new ideas to a democratic society.
  • providing a forum for discussion.
  • sustaining campaigns over long periods.
    • cumulative effect rather than single impact.
  • medium of instruction and interpretation for the leisurely, critical reader.
    • appeals to intellect rather than emotions.
  • Magazines have helped:
  • foster social and political reforms;
  • interpret issues and events,
    • and put them in national perspective;
  • foster a sense of national community;
  • provide low-cost entertainment;
  • instruct in daily living;
  • educate in cultural heritage
    • through historical & biographical articles and art.
      
      
• Formula & Society
  • An editorial concept can grow and mature after birth
    • As society changes, so must the concept and formula.
      
      
• Style
  • Editorial style:
  • Stylebook to be used (followed).
  • Your format would be incorporated into a stylebook for your magazine.
  
  

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