REFEREED RESEARCH PAPER Abrahamson, David. "The Role of Reader Gender as an Economic Determinant in U.S. Consumer Magazines." Communication Institute for Online Scholarship Research Database, (September 1991): . The Role of Reader Gender as an Economic Determinant in U.S. Consumer Magazines By David Abrahamson Northwestern University Whether women are better than men I cannot say. But I can say they are certainly no worse. -- Golda Meir (1898-1979) Many consumer magazines published in the United States are gender- specific. Though some publications, typically news magazines and a number of association and regional publications, have "joint" readerships, a majority of magazines are clearly aimed at either male or female audiences.<2> A pair of factors, one sociocultural and one economic, might explain the prevalence of this delineation by gender. First, the editorial subjects covered by most conventional magazines are often of predominant interest to only one gender, e.g. males and hunting, or women and needlecrafts. Second, and perhaps more importantly, many products and services sold in the United States are segmented by gender, and this is particularly true for those products that have traditionally used magazines as national advertising vehicles.<3> Indeed, many of the national consumer magazines that charge the highest advertising rates, thereby implying that they offer advertisers the most desirable potential readers/customers, are gender-specific publications, e.g. the high fashion women's magazines or men's magazines focused on expensive hobbies such as private aviation.<4> Despite the pivotal role by gender, however, in both the editorial positioning and advertising prospects of any magazine, it has been the object of little scholarly attention. As a generalization about the field of journalism scholarship, magazines as a subject for academic research have typically drawn less consideration than either television or newspapers. Moreover, much of the study that has been done on the issue of gender in magazine readership has been the work of journalism historians, and its principal focus has been on 19th-century developments.<5> In sum, there is little current scholarship on aspects of gender related to contemporary consumer magazine publishing. The thesis of this paper is that there is a causal relationship between the gender of audience and a number of quantitative measures applicable to magazine publishing, e.g. circulation size, frequency of publication, reader age, cover price, and price charged for advertising. Additionally, it will examine the relationship between reader gender and magazine category by subject matter. MAGAZINE OVERVIEW Approximately 12,000 different periodicals of all types are published in the United States. Somewhat less than 2,000 of these, representing a total circulation of over 700 million readers, can be considered consumer magazines.<6> In terms of individual circulations, consumer magazines range in size from the Sunday supplement Parade (35.3 million) and American Association of Retired Person's monthly, Modern Maturity (22.4 million), to small specialized publications with only a few hundred readers.<7> The average (mean) circulation of all American consumer magazines is 442,851. Due to a large number of magazines with quite small readerships, however, the median circulation of U.S. consumer magazines is only 86,000 readers. (See Figure 1.) ============================================================== FIGURE 1. Circulation (all magazines) Count Circ Midpoint (000s) 76 25 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 46 75 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 21 125 XXXXXXXXXXX 14 175 XXXXXXX 7 225 XXXX 12 275 XXXXXX 8 325 XXXX 6 375 XXX 3 425 XX 1 475 X 2 525 X 2 575 X 3 625 XX 3 675 XX 1 725 X 1 775 X 2 825 X 0 875 3 925 XX 1 975 X 0 1,025 1 1,075 X 1 1,125 X 3 1,175 XX 1 1,225 X = 1 1,675 X 1 1,725 X = 1 1,975 X 1 2,025 X = Mean=442,851 1 2,275 X (s.d.=1,667,941) = Median=86,000 1 3,825 X Mode=75,000 = Minimum=1,000 1 5,125 X Maximum=16,555,000 = Sum=100,970,000 1 7,075 X = Valid cases=228 1 16,375 X Missing cases=0 = 1 16,555 X I.........I.........I.........I.........I 0 20 40 60 80 Histogram frequency ============================================================== Almost forty percent of all consumer magazines are published monthly, and the median cover price is $2.50. (See Figures 2 and 3.) ============================================================== FIGURE 2. Frequency of Publication (all magazines) Frequency Cases Percent Frequency Cases Percent (n/year) (n/year) 4x 23 10.1 14x 1 .4 5x 6 2.6 16x 1 .4 6x 43 18.9 17x 1 .4 7x 3 1.3 18x 1 .4 8x 8 3.5 22x 2 .9 9x 5 2.2 26x 6 2.6 10x 11 4.8 30x 1 .4 11x 8 3.5 43x 1 .4 12x 91 39.9 51x 1 .4 13x 2 .9 52x 13 5.7 ------- ------- Total 228 100.0 4x XXXXXXXXXXXXX 5x XXXX 6x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 7x XXX 8x XXXXX 9x XXXX 10x XXXXXXX 11x XXXXX 12x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 13x XX 14x XX 16x XX 17x XX 18x XX 22x XX 26x XXXX 30x XX 43x XX 51x XX 52x XXXXXXXX I.........I.........I.........I.........I.........I 0% 8 16 24 32 40 Mean=12.7 (s.d.=11.2) Median=12.0 Mode=12.0 Minimum=4 Maximum=52 Valid cases=228 Missing cases=0 ============================================================== FIGURE 3. Cover Price (all magazines) Cover Price ($) Count Midpoint 22 .25 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX * 10 .75 XXXXXXX 18 1.25 XXXXXXXXXXXX 21 1.75 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX 29 2.25 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 73 2.75 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 17 3.25 XXXXXXXXXXX 21 3.75 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX 5 4.25 XXX 4 4.75 XXX 3 5.25 XX 0 5.75 0 6.25 1 6.75 X 0 7.25 1 7.75 X 0 8.25 = 1 13.75 X = 1 31.75 X I.........I.........I.........I.........I.........I 0 15 30 45 60 75 Histogram frequency Mean=2.52 (s.d.=2.43) Median=2.50 Mode=2.95 Range=32.00 Minimum=0.00 Maximum=32.00 Valid cases=227 Missing cases=1 * Includes 19 cases where Cover Price=$0.00 (distrib. free). ============================================================== The price charged for advertising is a function of both the size of the individual medium's audience and the attractiveness of that audience to advertisers. The median "page rate" for a black-and-white advertisement in consumer magazines is just under $2,600. However, the price of advertising is perhaps more usefully expressed in terms of "cost per thousand" (cpm) readers or viewers. For magazines, the cost is, once again, that of a full-page black-and-white advertisement; for television, a 30-second commercial. For comparison, network television's cpm is typically below $5, a figure which, not coincidentally, is also the cpm of TV Guide. Large general-interest magazines such as Reader's Digest and Ladies Home Journal have cpm's below $15, and the newsweeklies such as Time and Newsweek cluster around $20. The more specialized the audience, however, the more a magazine can charge. As a result, magazines serving special reader interests often have cpm's two or three times that of the newsmagazines, and the industry's median cpm is $32. (See Figures 4 and 5.) ============================================================== FIGURE 4. Full-Page B&W Ad Rate (all magazines) Page Rate ($) Count Midpoint 44 700 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 57 1,700 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 27 2,700 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 16 3,700 XXXXXXXXXXXXX 15 4,700 XXXXXXXXXXXXX 11 5,700 XXXXXXXXX 6 6,700 XXXXX 6 7,700 XXXXX 5 8,700 XXXX 3 9,700 XXX 1 10,700 X 3 11,700 XXX 1 12,700 X 2 13,700 XX 3 14,700 XXX 1 15,700 X 2 16,700 XX 1 17,700 X 3 18,700 XXX 1 19,700 X 1 20,700 X 2 21,700 XX 1 22,700 X 0 23,700 2 24,700 XX 1 25,700 X 1 26,700 X 32,700 = 7 to XXXXXXXXX 42,700 = 53,700 = 3 to XXX 78,700 = 1 112,700 X = 1 164,700 X I........I.........I.........I.........I.........I 0 12 24 36 48 60 Histogram frequency Mean=7,764.99 (s.d.=16,584.43) Median=2,591.50 Min.=212.00 Maximum=164,780.00 Valid cases=228 Missing cases=0 ============================================================== FIGURE 5. Advertising CPM (all magazines) CPM ($) Count Midpoint 19 6 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 41 16 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 44 26 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 46 36 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 26 46 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 19 56 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 8 66 XXXXXXXX 8 76 XXXXXXXX 1 86 X 2 96 XX 4 106 XXXX 2 116 XX 0 126 2 136 XX 1 146 X 1 156 X 1 166 X 0 176 1 186 X 1 196 X 0 206 = 1 496 X I.........I.........I.........I.........I.........I 0 10 20 30 40 50 Histogram frequency Mean=40.99 (s.d.=43.46) Median=32.00 Mode=35.00 Min.=1.00 Maximum=500.00 Valid cases=228 Missing cases=0 ============================================================== GENDER ANALYSIS AND RESULTS More than two thirds of all consumer magazines are gender-specific.<8> Viewed as a whole, just over forty percent of all magazines are aimed at male readers, under thirty percent are women's magazines, and the balance have joint readerships. (See Figure 6.) ============================================================== FIGURE 6. Gender of Readership (all magazines) Gender Valid Cum Cases Percent Percent Percent Male 95 41.7 41.7 41.7 Female 62 27.2 27.2 68.9 Joint 71 31.1 31.1 100.0 ------- ------- ------- Total 228 100.0 100.0 Male XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Female XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Joint XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I..........I...........I...........I..........I 0% 10 20 30 40 Valid cases=228 Missing cases=0 ============================================================== A. Gender and Circulation Of particular interest is the fact that the average circulation of magazines for men is 206,937, while the mean readership of women's publications, 469,113, is notably higher. (See Figure 7.) ============================================================== FIGURE 7. Statistics, Circulation by Gender Male Female Joint Mean 206,937 469,113 735,577 S.d. 361,228 869,469 2,832,785 Median 78,000 105,500 100,000 Minimum 4,000 10,000 1,000 Maximum 2,016,000 5,147,000 16,555,000 Sum 19,659,000 29,085,000 52,226,000 Valid cases 95 62 71 Missing cases 0 0 0 ============================================================== Simlar differences are also reflected in the median values: male=78,000, female=105,500. T-tests of these gender-related differences in circulation suggest that the relationships, while not of great strength, are indeed statistically significant.<9> Additional analyses, however, using the Chi Square test to compare magazines by gender with groupings by circulation (0-50,000, 50,000-100,000, 100,000-500,000, 500,000 and higher) indicate that the relationship between gender and circulation is both statistically significant and modestly robust.<10> (See Figure 8.) ============================================================== FIGURE 8. X2 Tests, gender x circulation Count Circulation Row Pct Row Col Pct < 50k 50-100k 100-500k > 500k Total --------I--------I--------I-------- 33 22 30 10 95 Male 34.7 23.2 31.6 10.5 60.5 62.3 66.7 68.2 37.0 ----------------------------------- 20 11 14 17 62 Female 32.3 17.7 22.6 27.4 39.5 37.7 33.3 31.8 63.0 ----------------------------------- Column 53 33 44 27 157 Total 33.8 21.0 28.0 17.2 100.0 Exp Val Row Residual < 50k 50-100k 100-500k > 500k Total --------I--------I--------I-------- 32.1 20.0 26.6 16.3 95 Male .9 2.0 3.4 -6.3 60.5% ----------------------------------- 20.9 13.0 17.4 10.7 62 Female -.9 -2.0 -3.4 6.3 39.5% ----------------------------------- Column 53 33 44 27 157 Total 33.8% 21.0% 28.0% 17.2% 100.0% ----------------------------------- Pearson X2 p=0.05 Cramer's V=0.22 Missing obs.=71 ============================================================== As a result, though it cannot be claimed with any certainty that gender alone determines the size of a given magazine's circulation, there seems to be a clear and statistically significant relationship between the gender of a magazine's readership and its circulation, with female publications generally enjoying notably more readers than male magazines. B. Gender and Other Quantitative Measures Subsequent tests reveal no statistical significance in the relationship between reader gender and a number of the other variables under consideration, i.e. publication frequency, reader age, and CPM. Comparison of means (Figure 9) suggests why this is so. With only small ============================================================== FIGURE 9. Means, by reader gender of magazine All Male Female Joint Frequency 12.7 13.3 12.9 11.7 Reader Age 39.9 38.9 40.1 40.9 Cover Price $2.52 $2.74 $2.85 $1.95 Page Rate $7,765.00 $5,343.52 $9,393.16 $9,583.23 CPM $40.99 $38.16 $37.55 $47.79 ============================================================== variations by gender, little evident effect is possible. For example, the mean reader age of male publications is 38.9 years; of female magazines, 40.1.<11> As an aside, however, it might be worth noting that there is a quite interesting age distribution of magazine readers as a whole across the entire population. (See Figure 10.) ============================================================== FIGURE 10. Reader Age (all magazines) Reader Age (years) Count Midpoint 1 3 X 1 7 X 2 11 XX 5 15 XXXXXX 3 19 XXXX 2 23 XX 8 27 XXXXXXXXXX 18 31 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 31 35 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 37 39 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 26 43 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 23 47 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 16 51 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 13 55 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 6 59 XXXXXXX 4 63 XXXXX 1 67 X I.........I.........I.........I.........I.........I 0 8 16 24 32 40 Histogram frequency Mean=39.9 (s.d.=11.1) Median=40.0 Mode=40.0 Range=63 Min.=4 Maximum=67 Valid cases=197 Missing cases=31 ============================================================== With two other variables, cover price and the price charged for a full- page black-and-white advertisement (the "page rate"), there are statistically significant but notably weak relationships with reader gender.<12> In the case of average cover prices, the most telling variation is between gender-specific magazines (male $2.74, female $2.85) and publications with joint readerships ($1.95).<13> And while there is a marked difference between the mean page rates of male ($5,343.52) and female ($9,393.16) magazines<14>, in all likelihood this is not directly related to gender per se. Rather, the primary determinant of page rates is circulation size, irrespective of gender- specificity. C. Gender and Subject Matter A last area of investigation is the possible relationship between reader gender and magazine category based on subject matter. Using a developed categorization scheme,<15> it is noteworthy that the two largest categories, Sports/Hobbies (32.0 percent) and Travel/Regional (19.3 percent) account for over half of the entire population of consumer magazines. (See Figure 11.) ============================================================== FIGURE 11. Subject-matter category (all magazines) Category Cases Percent Association 20 8.8 General/News 20 8.8 Family/Home/Shelter 19 8.3 Lifestyle/Fashion 18 7.9 Business/Finance 10 4.4 Sports/Hobbies 73 32.0 Science/Health 12 5.3 Travel/Regional 44 19.3 Youth/Other 12 5.3 ------- ------- Total 228 100.0 Association XXXXXXXXXXXX General/News XXXXXXXXXXXX Family/Home/Shelt XXXXXXXXXXXX Lifestyle/Fashion XXXXXXXXXXX Business/Finance XXXXXXX Sports/Hobbies XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Science/Health XXXXXXXX Travel/Regional XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Youth/Other XXXXXXXX I.............I.............I.............I 0% 10 20 30 Valid cases=228 Missing cases=0 ============================================================== After a further refinements of the categorization scheme to meet test requirements,<16> an analysis using the Chi Square test to compare magazine gender with subject-matter-category suggests that the relationship between gender and category is both statistically significant and quite strong.<17> (See Figure 12.) ============================================================== FIGURE 12. X2 Test, subject-matter category x gender Count Exp Val Row Residual Male Female Total ---------I--------- General 18 7 25 News 15.1 9.9 15.9% Association 2.9 -2.9 ------------------- Family 1 9 10 Home 6.1 3.9 6.4% Shelter -5.1 5.1 ------------------- 3 11 14 Lifestyle 8.5 5.5 8.9% Fashion -5.5 5.5 ------------------- Business 10 5 15 Science 9.1 5.9 9.6% Health .9 -.9 ------------------- 53 15 68 Sports 41.1 26.9 43.3% Hobbies 11.9 -11.9 ------------------- 7 10 17 Travel 10.3 6.7 10.8% Regional -3.3 3.3 ------------------- 3 5 8 Youth 4.8 3.2 5.1% Other -1.8 1.8 ------------------- Column 95 62 157 Total 60.5% 39.5% 100.0% Pearson X2 p=0.00 Cramer's V=0.47 Missing Obs.=71 Cells with Expected Frequency < 5 = 3 of 14 (21.4%) ============================================================== Some categories of subject matter are unsurprisingly gender-specific: Family/Home/Shelter and Lifestyle/Fashion magazines are female, while Sports/Hobbies publications have disproportionately male readerships. But there are also a number of suggestive anomalies. For example, women are well represented in the Business/Science/Health category. And while males are under-represented in Youth/Other, there is a small but clear male component in the Lifestyle/Fashion category. (See Figure 13.) ============================================================== FIGURE 13. Subject-matter category by gender General/News/Assn XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX OOOOOOO Family/Home X Male XXXXXXX OOOOOOOO Female OOOOOOO Lifestyle/Fashion XXX OOOOOOOOOOO Business/Science XXXXXXXXX OOOOO Sports/Hobbies XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX OOOOOOOOOOOOO Travel/Regional XXXXXXX OOOOOOOOO Youth/Other XXX OOOOO I.........I.........I.........I.........I Count 0 12 24 36 48 Missing obs.=71 (Non-gender-specific cases excluded) ============================================================== DISCUSSION The four statistically significant gender-related aspects of U.S. consumer magazines (number of titles, circulation, cover price, and subject matter) provide insights into some of the economic fundamentals of publishing. Moreover, they may also serve to illuminate a number of the prevailing sociocultural dimensions of contemporary America. A. Gender and Number of Magazines It is possible that the greater number of magazines targeted at male audiences (41.7 percent compared to 27.2 percent for females) is a result of a greater diversity and segmentation of interests among males. Sports/Hobbies, a predominantly male category (male 53 titles, female 15) certainly offers evidence in support of the generalization. (See Figure 13). The aphorism concerning "boys and their toys" may indeed contain a measure of truth. And because the advertising market for each genre of "toy" (e.g. boats, cars, planes, guns, etc.) can support its own publications, the total number of titles is greater. B. Gender and Circulation Size At first glance, it might seem that the larger average circulation of female magazines (469,113 compared to 206,937 for male publications) is merely a function of the number of titles. If the total number of male and female readers of gender-specific magazines were equal, the availability of fewer female titles would, by simple arithmetic, result in more female readers per female publication. Though this argument has a certain logical simplicity, it fails to explain an important underlying reality: The total number of male and female readers of gender-specific magazines is not equal. Indeed, the aggregate total circulation of all female magazines is almost fifty percent larger than that of male publications, an increase of almost 66 million readers.<18> Simply put, more females read magazines. And while it is possible that there is a quality of communality, or of desired confirmation, inherent in the readership of female magazines, the question remains open. C. Gender and Cover Price It is likely that the marked differences between the average cover prices of gender-specific publications (male $2.74, female $2.85) and magazines with a joint readership ($1.95) are largely the result of market forces at the newsstand. Joint-readership publications are often more dependent on single-copy newsstand, rather than subscription, sales. As a result, market competition at the newsstand, particularly between joint publications themselves, may work to keep their cover prices relatively low. Additionally, a number of joint magazines are distributed free to their readers, thereby lowering the group's average price. (See Figure 3). D. Gender and Subject-Matter Category While somewhat speculative in nature, a number of sociocultural inferences might be drawn from the results of the analysis relating gender to subject matter. (See Figure 13.) For example, the full representation of female-specific magazines in the Business/Finance/- Science/Health category may reflect the increasing participation by women in nontraditional roles. The underrepresentation of gender-specific magazines for young males (Youth/Other) may be due to the decline of the comic book in the Age of Television. Conversely, another factor might be the recent concerted efforts by advertisers to reach young females, thereby creating an enlarged economic base for magazines targeted at girls. The small but significant male component in the Lifestyle/Fashion category might be explained by a variety of recent sociocultural changes. These could include changing sociocultural definitions of "manhood" and a number of successful magazines for males in this category with largely gay readerships. CONCLUSION In conclusion, it is clear that gender-specificity is an important determinant in the shape of the U.S. consumer magazine industry. Though there are more publications specifically aimed at male readers, they tend to be significantly smaller in circulation than women's magazines. Moreover, there is often a strong, and at times quite suggestive, relationship between the gender of a magazine's audience and its subject matter. For the purpose of expanding this study's conclusions about the nature of the gender determinants in U.S. consumer magazines, it would be interesting to place the same questions in a historical context. This could be accomplished by drawing study samples from archival sources such as back issues of the Standard Rate and Data Service directory. APPENDIX A: NOTE ON CONVENTIONS This article is based in large measure upon the results of quantitative research. An effort, however, has been made to focus the text on qualitative rather than quantitative issues. In most cases, statistics and results of statistical tests are relegated to footnotes, figures and tables. Readers who do not consult footnotes may assume that all relationships between variables have been tested for statistical significance, chiefly to determine if one can generalize from observations in the sample to the larger population (and with which this article is concerned, i.e. the consumer magazine industry as a whole). Where possible, measures of the significance and strength of all relationships have been calculated. Hence, words such as "significant" or "strong" are used in the text to describe characteristics of all consumer magazines only when their use is supported by the results of statistical tests reported in footnotes. The significance of relationships between nominal variables was tested using the non-parametric tests: Chi Square (X2) and, if samples were small, Fisher's Exact test (FE). The probability (p) that a relationship in the sample does not reflect a relationship in the whole population is reported in footnotes. For example, p=0.03 indicates there is only a three-percent chance that a relationship in a sample is due to sampling fluctuations; therefore it is likely that it does reflect a relationship in the population as a whole. Relationships are not considered statistically significant if the probability is larger than five percent. All tests are two-tailed, unless a one-tailed test is indicated in a footnote by "1p." If the relationship is statistically significant, the footnote also reports a measure of its strength: phi (phi) or Cramer's V (V). For interval variables, the number of cases and measures of central tendency (mean or median) and of dispersion (standard deviation, referred to as "s.d.") are provided in the text, figures, or footnotes. The statistical significance of differences between means was tested using the T-test and/or an analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the strength of relationships was measured by Eta Squared (E2). When assumptions required by parametric tests could not be made, the appropriate non-parametric test was used to evaluate differences in central tendency and dispersion, e.g. Mann-Whitney (M-W) and Kolgormorov-Smirnov (K-S) as alternatives to the t-test, and Kruskal- Wallis (K-W) instead of ANOVA. In all cases, probabilities are reported in footnotes as described above. APPENDIX B: SOURCES AND METHODS SOURCES: Information on U.S. consumer magazines was obtained from the 27 March 1991 edition of the Consumer Magazine and Agri-Media Rates and Data directory published by the Standard Rate and Data Service, a standard industry reference. All data on individual magazines in the sample was then confirmed by telephone with every publisher. For the purpose of analysis, the data from the SRDS directory had a limitation that should be noted: Only those publications that accept advertising are included in the directory. SAMPLING: A nth-name sort (n=7) of the SRDS directory's index of U.S. consumer magazines (2,645 entries) was performed, yielding a random sample of 377 entries. After telephone confirmation, publications that either had gone out of business or were published with a frequency less than quarterly (e.g. semiannually or annually) were removed from the sample, resulting in a dataset containing a total of 228 titles. CATEGORIES: The magazines in the sample were originally categorized by grouping the sixty-seven categories used in the SRDS directory into nine clusters based on a broadly defined commonality of subject matter: CLUSTER SRDS CATEGORY Association............Civic College & Alumni Education & Teacher Fraternal Clubs & Associations Labor & Trade Union Mature Military & Naval Religious & Denominational General/News...........General Editorial (news) Literary, Reviews & Writing Media & Personalities News (weekly) News (daily, biweekly, other) Newsweeklies (alternative) Newsletters Newspaper Magazines Political & Social Family/Home/Shelter....Babies Bridal Entertainment, Radio & TV Dressmaking & Needlework Gardening Home Service & Home Parenthood TV & Radio Women's (family/home/shelter) Lifestyle/Fashion......Art & Antiques Epicurean Men's Society Women's (lifestyle/fashion) Women's/Men's Fashion & Beauty Business/Finance.......Business & Finance Computers Sports/Hobbies.........Automotive Aviation Boating Campers & Recreational Vehicles Camping & Outdoor Recreation Dogs & Pets Crafts, Games, Hobbies & Models Dancing Fishing & Hunting Gaming History Horses, Riding & Breeding Music Mystery, Adventure & SciFi Motorcycle Photography Sports Science/Health.........Fitness Health Mechanics & Science Nature & Ecology Science & Technology Travel/Regional........Inflight & Enroute Entertainment Guides & Programs Entertainment & Performing Arts Hotel Inroom Metro, State & Regional Travel Youth/Other............Children's Comics Gay Sex Youth In a few instances, the SRDS categorization of some individual magazines in the random sample was somewhat at odds with reality. When this was the case, the publication was assigned to a more appropriate cluster. To satisfy assumptions of certain statistical tests, these nine clusters were "collapsed" into seven categories. When this was required, a certain inherent logic was applied, e.g. General/News and Association together, and Business/Finance combined with Science/Health. The resulting categories were: General/News/Association Family/Home/Shelter LifeStyle/Fashion Sports/Hobbies Business/Finance/Science/Health Travel/Regional Youth/Other BIBLIOGRAPHY Canape, Charlene. "Refashioning the Male Marketplace." Marketing & Media Decisions, March 1985, 84-86. Chung, Man-Soo. "Consumer Information-Seeking Behavior and Magazine Advertisements." Ph.D. diss., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1988. Confer, Marian. The Magazine Handbook. New York: Magazine Publishers of America, 1990. Damon-Moore, Helen Mary. "Gender and the Rise of Mass-Circulation Magazines." Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987. Fletcher, Alan D. and Winn, Paul D. "An Intermagazine Analysis of Factors in Advertising Readership." Journalism Quarterly 51.3 (Autumn 1974): 425-430. Malin, Steven R. "An Empirical Investigation of Magazine Advertising Cycles." Ph.D. diss., City University of New York, 1980. Standard Rate and Data Service. Consumer Magazine and Agri-Media Rates and Data 73.3 (27 March 1991). Waller, Mary Ellen. "Popular Women's Magazines, 1890-1917." Ph.D. diss., Columbia University, 1987. ENDNOTES 1. The research assistance of Ms. Leslie Brenner of Fortune Magazine, particularly regarding the confirmation of current demographic and circulation data, is gratefully acknowledged. 2. For the purposes of this study, if gender-specificity<60%, a magazine can be characterized as having a "joint" readership. See also Appendix A: Notes on Conventions. 3. See Alan D. Fletcher and Paul D. Winn, "An Inter-Magazine Analysis of Factors in Advertising Readership," Journalism Quarterly 51.3 (Autumn 1974): 425-430; and Steven R. Malin, "An Empirical Investigation of Magazine Advertising Cycles" (Ph.D. diss., City University of New York, 1980). 4. Charlene Canape, "Refashioning the Male Marketplace," Marketing Media Decisions, March 1985, 84-86. See also Chung, Man-Soo. "Consumer Information-Seeking Behavior and Magazine Advertisements" (Ph.D. diss., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1988). 5. See Helen Mary Damon-Moore, "Gender and the Rise of Mass-Circulation Magazines" (Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987), and Mary Ellen Waller, "Popular Women's Magazines, 1890-1917" (Ph.D. diss., Columbia University, 1987). 6. A precise definition of "consumer magazine" is, of course, somewhat elusive. For the purposes of this study, a periodical must meet the following tests to be considered: It must be listed in the SRDS Consumer Magazine directory (and therefore must carry advertising), and it must be published with a frequency of four times a year or more. See also Marian Confer, The Magazine Handbook (New York: Magazine Publishers of America, 1990), 5; and Appendix B: Sources and Methods. The total readership of 700 million has been calculated by multiplying the circulation total in the study sample (see "Sum" note, Figure 1) by the "nth" value (n=7) in the sampling sort: 100.97 million x 7 = 706.79 million. See Appendix B: Sources and Methods. 7. Standard Rate and Data Service, Consumer Magazine and Agri-Media Rates and Data 73.3 (27 March 1991): 246, 259. 8. As noted in an earlier footnote, if the readership of a magazine is 60% or more of one gender, for the purposes of this analysis it will be regarded as a gender-specific publication. 9. T-test p=0.03, E2=0.04. 10. Pearson X2 p=0.05, Cramer's V=0.22. 11. S.d.=9.4 (male), 13.9 (female). 12. Cover Price: ANOVA p=0.05, E2=0.03; Page Rate: T-test p=0.03, E2=0.04. 13. S.d.=1.54 (male), 3.97 (female), 1.32 (joint). 14. S.d.=7,621.89 (male), 13,581.71 (female). 15. See Appendix B: Sources and Methods. 16. Ibid. Note: To address X2 expected frequency requirements, no joint- readership publications were considered, and only gender-specific magazines were included in this test. 17. Pearson X2 p=0.00, Cramer's V=0.47. Note: While the cells with expected frequency<5 exceed the X2 limit of 20%, the excess of only 1.4% is judged to have little effect on the test's validity. 18. Using the methodology outlined in Footnote 4 above, this calculation is based on the multiplication of sample sums (see Figure 7) by "nth" value (n=7). Aggregate totals=137,613,000 (male), 203,595,000 (female). DATASET Compiled by David Abrahamson Dataset on U.S. Consumer Magazines, March 1991 Available from http://www.cios.org/getfile\magstats_dataset Random sample (228 cases) derived from nth-name sort from Standard Rate and Data Directory). Contact abrahamson@acfcluster.nyu.edu ------------------------------Code Book------------------------------- 1-3 Case number 5 Gender (1 male, 2 female, 3 joint i.e. <60% gender-specific) 7-11 Circulation, 000's 13 Abrahamson category (1 thru 9, see MAGSTATS ARTICLE 14-16 SRDS category (nn0=nn+null, nn1=A, nn2=nnB) 18-19 Median reader age, years 21-24 Cover price (e.g. 0200=$2.00) 26-31 Page rate, 1xB&W (e.g. 005145=$5,145) 33-35 CPM, $ (page rate/circ) 37-38 Publishing frequency/year 40+ Magazine title ------------------------------Dataset-------------------------------- 001 1 00095 1310 25 0200 005145 54 52 Air Force Times 002 2 00250 6340 0225 006080 24 13 Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery 003 1 00034 1420 55 0125 000850 25 43 America 004 2 00015 7350 0500 000800 53 05 American Birds 005 1 00011 6130 50 0150 000672 61 52 American Field 006 2 00806 7230 0195 016630 21 10 American Health 007 2 00828 1200 52 0075 008510 10 06 Am. Legion Auxiliary Nat. News 008 3 00087 8170 38 0000 002680 31 05 American Repertory Theater Guide 009 1 00040 6450 37 0295 002135 53 06 American Snowmobiler 010 2 00200 2220 58 0295 005170 26 06 Americana 011 3 00010 8301 40 0250 001190 119 12 Annapolitan 012 2 00060 4020 0075 001084 18 51 AntiqueWeek 013 2 00013 6250 35 0500 000400 31 12 Arabian Horse World 014 3 00154 1281 67 0100 004480 29 12 Arizona Senior World 015 2 00500 7230 62 0250 008600 17 06 Arthritis Today 016 2 00274 6020 50 0275 005405 20 12 Artist's 017 1 00054 6030 34 0200 002190 41 12 Automundo 018 3 00285 6450 37 0200 004400 15 08 Balls and Strikes 019 2 00600 9510 08 0195 012000 20 04 Barbie 020 1 00288 6450 30 0350 000950 3 12 Baseball Card Price Guide Monthly 021 1 00533 6190 35 0295 015490 29 10 Bassmaster 022 1 00019 6450 0200 000770 41 26 Bear Report 023 1 00104 5080 0200 003690 35 12 Better Investing 024 1 00020 6450 34 0250 000730 37 06 Billiards Digest 025 2 00020 8301 46 0350 002025 101 06 Boca Raton 026 2 00067 3381 35 0083 002400 36 12 Boston Parents' Paper 027 1 00164 6190 38 0295 002434 15 11 Bowhunting World 028 1 00042 8460 51 0300 005700 136 11 Business Traveler International 029 3 07100 3302 37 0175 078485 11 12 Cable Guide 030 3 00026 3302 0000 000236 9 12 Cableview-Indianapolis 031 3 00357 8301 47 0200 014725 41 12 California 032 2 00010 6250 30 0295 000440 44 12 California Horse Review 033 1 00110 3470 35 0295 001399 13 08 Camcorder 034 1 00005 6450 25 0200 000500 100 06 Canoe & Kayak Racing News 035 1 00950 6030 30 0295 035460 37 12 Car and Driver 036 3 00250 5080 26 0250 025440 102 06 Career Focus 037 3 00027 3210 46 0200 000990 37 08 Carolina Gardener 038 2 00129 6130 0250 005043 39 12 Cats 039 2 00033 6110 45 0225 000660 20 10 Ceramics 040 1 00092 6030 0295 002295 25 06 Chevrolet High Performance 041 2 00073 3381 35 0116 002318 32 12 Chicago Parent Newsmagazine 042 2 00076 9510 09 0174 000800 11 08 Child Life, Ages 9-11 043 3 00050 4180 45 0295 001725 35 06 Chile Pepper 044 2 00220 1420 47 0250 002528 11 06 Christian Reader 045 2 00040 1420 56 0127 001200 30 11 Church Herald 046 2 00015 8301 38 0295 001635 109 04 CITI 047 3 00196 2220 0250 006168 31 09 Class 048 3 00042 8301 44 0195 003150 75 12 Cleveland 049 1 00075 6110 51 0195 001840 25 52 Coin World 050 3 00014 4020 50 0395 000620 44 09 Collector's Showcase 051 2 00023 8301 40 0250 001837 80 06 Colorado Homes & Lifestyles 052 1 00117 6190 001740 15 04 Columbia Waterfowl & Upland Game 053 1 00035 2220 54 0375 003190 91 12 Commentary 054 1 00340 5101 0295 007175 21 12 Computer Shopper 055 2 00700 2220 47 0250 017645 25 10 Country America 056 1 00004 6190 45 0125 000212 53 12 Dakota Outdoors 057 1 00045 1092 50 0300 001565 35 09 Dartmouth Alumni 058 1 00275 8460 44 0000 018750 68 06 Departures 059 3 00050 8301 39 0000 003622 72 12 Diablo 060 3 01082 9092 20 0000 021600 20 04 Directory of Classes 061 3 00085 1200 0200 002970 35 04 Discovery YMCA 062 3 00285 5080 34 0300 009495 33 06 Dollars & Sense 063 1 00074 8301 56 0295 001850 25 12 Down East 064 1 00321 6311 32 0350 013789 43 12 Easyriders 065 2 00250 6340 0225 006080 24 13 Ellery Queen's Mystery 066 1 00056 6060 0125 001980 35 12 Ensign 067 2 00039 6250 35 0750 001397 36 04 Equine Images 068 2 00255 4490 36 0250 004457 17 06 Executive Female 069 1 00054 6030 35 0295 001140 21 06 Fabulous Mustangs & Exotic Fords 070 2 05147 3490 44 0139 075470 15 17 Family Circle 071 2 00446 8301 40 0000 018310 41 06 Family Living 072 1 00170 6450 35 0350 002450 14 06 Fantasy Baseball 073 1 02016 6190 36 0195 041735 21 12 Field & Stream 074 1 00082 6110 40 0295 001850 23 08 FineScale Modeler 075 1 00117 6190 42 0250 004140 35 07 Fishing Facts 076 2 00021 8301 60 0200 001384 66 12 Florida Living 077 2 00573 3210 47 0295 008690 15 06 Flower & Garden 078 2 00050 4020 3200 009090 182 06 FMR 079 1 00063 6450 25 0295 000425 7 12 Football,Bsktbll,Hockey Collector 080 1 00115 2410 44 0695 005830 51 05 Foreign Affairs 081 1 00339 6030 0295 007545 22 12 Four Wheeler 082 1 00800 8460 33 0149 010500 13 06 Friends 083 1 00362 4300 0400 004325 12 12 Gallery 084 3 00125 7350 38 0395 003420 27 06 Garbage 085 1 00030 8301 39 0000 001800 60 04 Georgia 086 2 02300 4500 28 0250 042580 19 12 Glamour 087 1 00057 9510 11 0150 003450 5 12 Goofy Adventures 088 3 00027 1420 34 0495 000910 34 05 Group's Junior High Ministry 089 1 00043 6030 32 0250 001080 25 06 Guide to Muscle Cars 090 2 00022 8301 47 0300 002550 116 10 Gulf Coast 091 1 00007 6190 40 0323 000299 43 04 Gun Show Calendar 092 2 00116 4490 0250 006328 55 08 Harper's Bazaar En Espanol 093 1 00205 5080 41 1350 012000 59 06 Harvard Business Review 094 3 00085 8010 0000 003505 41 12 Hawaiian Airlines 095 3 00150 5080 44 0200 006354 42 12 Hispanic Business 096 2 00925 3240 36 0195 024920 27 12 Home 097 1 00350 5080 42 0295 014340 41 12 Home Office Computing 098 3 00069 8301 46 0200 003455 50 12 Honolulu 099 2 00080 6250 24 0200 000900 11 12 Horse and Horseman 100 1 00047 6250 50 0300 001254 27 12 Horseman's Journal 101 1 00904 6030 0295 022970 25 12 Hot Rod 102 3 00200 3240 36 0295 007485 37 05 House Beautiful's Houses & Plans 103 1 00325 6190 34 0295 007700 24 12 Hunting 104 3 00270 8301 55 0300 002145 8 04 Illinois Farm Bureau Almanac 105 1 00126 5101 40 0395 006250 50 12 InCider A+ 106 3 00070 8301 35 0225 004490 64 08 Inside Chicago 107 2 00095 6110 60 0295 001200 13 06 International Doll World 108 3 00014 3302 0000 000550 39 12 Jacksonville Public Broadcst News 109 1 00057 6330 36 0295 001600 28 10 Jazztimes 110 3 00700 9510 13 0000 009745 14 18 Junior Scholastic 111 3 00347 8301 40 0150 002800 8 12 Kentucky Living 112 2 01139 5080 58 0250 021855 19 12 Kiplinger's Personal Finance 113 3 00060 8010 37 0416 001850 31 06 Lacsa's World 114 3 00006 8301 40 0200 000950 158 12 LB Monthly 115 3 01713 2220 35 0295 054110 32 14 Life 116 1 00616 1091 56 0037 004438 7 10 Lion 117 3 00110 3240 40 0325 003370 31 06 Log Home Living 118 3 00172 8301 44 0250 007520 44 12 Los Angeles 119 2 01178 4500 29 0250 027160 23 12 Mademoiselle 120 3 00017 7230 37 0300 000898 53 10 Mainstream 121 2 01000 1281 54 0175 024225 24 06 McCall's Silver Edition 122 1 00278 7300 0295 012055 43 06 Men's Health 123 3 00130 6450 32 0195 004850 37 11 MetroSports 124 3 00372 8460 42 0050 004920 13 06 Midwest Motorist 125 2 00025 6110 55 0395 000895 36 04 Miniature Collector 126 3 00010 8301 35 0400 001650 165 04 Missouri 127 3 00040 4500 27 0200 002250 56 12 Models & Talent Interntl Network 128 3 00110 2220 38 0295 004095 37 06 Mother Jones 129 1 00063 6450 23 0295 001895 30 12 Mountain Bike Action 130 1 00075 6030 33 0295 002618 35 12 Muscle Car Review 131 2 03803 2220 37 0085 039500 10 52 National Enquirer 132 1 00145 2410 49 0295 005230 36 26 National Review 133 3 00046 1310 35 0057 001536 33 52 Navy News 134 3 00025 8301 42 0200 001900 76 12 Network Publications-Manchester 135 1 00038 2220 44 0300 002000 53 12 New Dimensions 136 2 00070 9510 16 0000 001080 15 08 New Expression 137 1 00097 2410 44 0350 004500 46 52 New Republic 138 1 00107 2280 48 0225 006200 58 22 New York Review of Books 139 2 00050 8301 50 0200 003850 77 26 Newport Beach (714) 140 1 00123 6190 44 0300 002895 24 06 North American Fisherman 141 3 00052 8301 47 0150 002550 49 12 Northeast Ohio Avenues 142 2 00038 6110 45 0350 000850 22 12 Nutshell News 143 1 00528 1310 39 0000 012740 24 06 Off Duty-America 144 3 00380 8460 50 0020 004895 13 11 Ohio Motorist 145 3 00150 3240 41 0395 003050 20 06 Old-House Journal 146 3 00038 8301 42 0295 003250 86 12 Orange Coast 147 1 00071 6390 36 0395 002500 35 04 Outdoor & Travel Photography 148 1 00028 7350 43 0350 002150 77 04 Pacific Discovery 149 2 00017 8301 58 0350 002410 142 12 Palm Beach Life 150 1 00020 6450 33 0200 000640 32 12 Parachutist 151 2 00075 3381 30 0125 001871 25 12 Parents' Press 152 1 00012 1420 43 0250 000730 61 11 PCA Messenger 153 3 00152 8301 47 0000 001746 11 12 Penn Lines 154 1 00078 1092 50 0300 002710 35 09 Pennsylvania Gazette 155 2 00035 6250 36 0295 001150 33 12 Performance Horseman 156 1 00060 6450 53 0200 003527 59 05 Philadelphia Golf 157 3 00057 3302 49 0000 001688 30 12 Phoenix KAET 158 1 00139 6390 30 0400 003900 28 06 Picture Perfect 159 2 00061 4020 40 0450 002130 35 06 Plate World 160 1 00028 6060 40 0250 001580 56 12 Pleasure Boating 161 1 01651 4300 38 0195 038095 23 12 Popular Mechanics 162 3 00034 7230 40 0375 001222 36 04 Positive Approach 163 1 00168 2220 44 0300 006450 38 06 Private Clubs 164 1 00054 6450 40 0300 001750 32 30 Pro Football Weekly 165 3 00068 6250 0275 001160 17 12 Quarter Horse Journal 166 2 00354 6110 50 0100 004000 11 06 Quick & Easy Crochet 167 1 00035 5101 32 0395 001550 44 12 Rainbow 168 3 16396 2220 46 0197 112660 7 12 Reader's Digest 169 1 00036 6450 37 0350 000730 20 12 Referee 170 3 00001 2410 0400 000500 500 04 Responsive Community 171 1 00030 8301 46 0250 001600 53 06 Richmond Flyer 172 1 00100 9330 17 0350 002565 26 12 RIP 173 3 00009 8301 38 0250 001750 194 12 Roanoker 174 3 00280 8301 45 0045 002030 7 12 Rural Georgia 175 2 00030 3240 55 0195 001550 52 11 San Antonio Homes & Gardens 176 2 00056 8301 33 0146 001786 32 52 San Jose Metro 177 3 00372 3470 51 0250 006400 17 52 Satellite TV Week 178 1 00237 7430 42 0100 004982 21 52 Science News 179 1 00023 7430 0223 001695 74 26 Scientist 180 2 00034 8301 37 0075 001640 48 52 Seattle Weekly 181 1 00300 8460 32 0000 000405 1 12 See the Florida Keys 182 3 00336 1281 63 0000 001575 5 12 Senior 183 3 00036 1281 63 0100 001440 40 12 Senior Times 184 2 01175 9490 04 0149 037044 32 10 Sesame Street 185 1 00010 6450 35 0195 000660 66 12 Silent Sports 186 1 00440 6450 32 0200 018435 42 07 Skiing 187 1 00027 6450 28 0075 001795 66 12 Slo-Pitch News 188 1 00022 6450 40 0195 002400 109 16 Snow Week 189 2 00200 3490 30 0250 001912 10 26 Soap Opera Update 190 3 00039 8301 44 0300 005100 131 12 South Florida 191 2 00075 4020 58 0450 006000 80 12 Southwest Art 192 1 00625 6450 36 0250 014950 24 52 Sporting News 193 1 00075 6450 0250 000765 10 12 Sports Card Trader 194 3 00100 2410 0080 003188 32 52 Spotlight 195 1 00115 1092 49 0450 003500 30 04 Stanford 196 1 00040 6030 0295 002042 51 04 Super Street Truck 197 1 00020 6450 32 0250 001190 60 07 Tavern Sports International 198 2 01163 9490 15 0225 016410 14 12 Teen Magazine 199 3 00332 8301 44 0100 002740 8 12 Tennessee 200 1 00033 6311 25 0295 001425 43 12 Three & Four Wheel Action 201 3 00160 4020 43 0125 002000 13 12 Toastmaster 202 1 00300 9510 18 0295 008000 27 04 Topps 203 1 00030 6450 40 0250 001400 47 12 Track & Field News 204 1 00046 6190 42 0325 000595 13 12 Trapper & Predator Caller 205 2 00650 6110 55 0149 001710 3 26 TV Crosswords 206 3 00065 9220 16 0000 001495 23 10 Twenty-First Century 207 3 00157 1092 39 0200 005396 34 04 UCLA 208 1 00042 6450 34 0295 001753 42 12 Underwater USA 209 3 16555 2220 42 0000 164780 10 52 Usa Weekend 210 3 00272 8460 55 0295 005500 20 04 Vacations 211 2 00161 7230 40 0295 002775 17 12 Vegetarian Times 212 1 02000 1200 62 0200 014000 7 11 VFW 213 3 00653 7230 47 0295 010000 15 04 Vim & Vigor 214 2 01215 4500 31 0300 032410 27 12 Vogue 215 3 00049 6190 37 0295 001198 24 06 Walleye 216 1 00034 2410 47 0350 002000 59 10 Washington Monthly 217 3 00245 8170 47 0000 007285 30 12 Washington, DC Stagebill 218 3 00060 2280 32 0250 002195 37 06 West Coast Review of Books 219 3 00127 6190 55 0250 003342 26 09 Western Outdoors 220 1 00078 2220 47 0500 003100 40 04 Wilson Quarterly 221 1 00120 4180 44 0250 008310 69 22 Wine Spectator 222 3 00055 8301 47 0350 002145 39 06 Wisconsin Trails 223 2 00450 3240 38 0295 019440 43 04 Woman's Day Kitchens & Baths 224 2 00035 4490 29 0100 001699 49 12 Women's Record 225 1 00090 6110 0150 001175 13 12 Woodshop News 226 2 00725 4490 32 0195 020458 34 12 Working Mother 227 1 00200 6231 0295 002825 14 06 World War II 228 3 00028 9450 13 0075 001395 50 12 Youth Soccer News --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1