The desert that is magazining
The niche concept took over magazining in the 1970’s, tightened
its grip in the 80’s and has a death-vise lock on mags today,
as people rush AWAY from the newstands to the TVs, whose
owners not-coincedently own the newstands. Today’s mag
reading is training that is selling us on the 500-channel
idea (and not a drop to drink).
I think that before the 70’s that niches were convenient things
that mags were loosely built around—surprises, deviations and
digressions abounded. Readership was enormous.
The vision of the editor ruled. Even if it wasn’t always overt.
‘Esquire’ changed night and day with the change of its editors.
The converse was not true. The mission of ‘Esquire’ didn’t
mold its editors to a consistent shape. Editorial vision today
still determines a magazine but today this is denied and
worked against despite its inevitability. The editor wants
to be able to blame any troubles on his READERS and their
‘demographic’, for the sake of his continuing career.
A pure niche product will always produce boredom, an identical
round of stories.
Magazines inevitably become quite predictable as it is, but
editorial leadership is still the only thing that can give new
ideas a chance.
When ‘Rolling Stone’ decides to publish Hunter Thompson it’s
only because of Jann Wenner, not any so-called demographic.
And a Hunter Thompson won’t be seen again until the (easily-blamed)
grip of ‘demographics’ loses its hold. Until an editor puts his
art ahead of his career. How long has it been? Ouch.
Careerism seems ever so more virulent today than it
was during the (actually effluorescing) 50’s.
This is why the newstand is a desert.
This is where zining has its big change. If we don’t
take advantage of it, it’s due to our lack not any lack
of opportunity. It may well be that there aren’t any
leaders anymore. Well, that’s probably not the only
problem.
I recall when I sent an editor of a national outdoor magazine
a copy of my little zine once, back when I was on the ball
about things like that, and he wrote back saying that if I
ever went national that he and his like would be put on
the run. I thought that was very nice of him. I also recall
two different millionaires (one a former Bureau Chief of Time)
saying to just let them know when I wanted to go big. But
dumbness goes to the very top: I know that the Time
guy, anyway, would’ve wanted me to ‘zero in on my niche’ as
part of his quick formula for getting my zine ready to be bought
out at a golden parachute offering. Maybe the furniture magnate
woulda been the way to go. But how much interest would
the Time guy have, who made his fame IN the system, have in
SURPASSING it? Heck, I’m not interested in rejecting, rebelling or mocking
the system. I’d want to kick its butt, go the next step. Well, so much
for MY method. I guess I opted for security. Or the illusion thereof.
