Publishing Houses

By Katy Maywood

Time Inc. UK (previously IPC Media) is a consumer magazine and digital publisher, which typically sells around 350million copies a year and has been named the UK’s biggest magazine publisher. Time Inc. owns over 60 media brands and caters content for print, mobile, tablet, online and events. Just a few of the brands Time Inc. own are; NME, In Style, What’s On TV, Chat and Pick Me Up. IPC engage with around 26 million adults in the UK. IPC’s website has over 20 million users every month. IPC obviously caters for many people due to the differences in the magazines it publishes, so it has been associated with many different target audiences. After researching this, I found out that IPC three main focuses are; up market women (Marie Claire, In Style, Ideal Home), mass market women (Look, Now, Chat) and men (Rugby World, Decanter, Country Life)

In 1965, IPC had to set up a management development department as it consisted of a number of companies, this rationalized it’s holdings. Thus resulting in the various subsidiaries not in competition with each other in the same market. A reorganization took place in the year 1968 and IPC was split into six divisions: (IPC) Newspapers, Magazines, Trade & Technical, Books, Printing and New Products.

According to The Guardian, IPC suffered a 1million print sales downfall during the first half of 2014. An example of this downfall is NME’s weekly circulation fell to 14,000 (down 28% from 2013.) However, iPC insists that it’s reach across all platforms (print and digital) makes the brand ‘bigger than it’s ever been before’, as the title’s print edition sales peaked at more than 300,000. Traffic on the NME mobile website grew to 85% and nearly 40% of it’s total online audience now read on their mobiles. An estimation of IPC’s profits is that the company is valued between $2bn and $3.5bn. Country Life is believed to be the company’s best publisher sellers, selling an average of 40,000 copies per week at 3.20 a copy. Despite the rise in on-demand and time shifted viewing, What's On TV remains the UK’s second biggest magazine and is owned by IPC.

The numbers (source- The Guardian) Pre-Tax profits = 45.5m Revenues = 331m Employees = 1,800 Total circulation = 5.87million *full year 2011

Bauer media is a European based media company that manages a portfolio of magazines, digital products, radio and TV stations in local markets across the world. Bauer group has been managed by five generations of the Bauer family. It was originally a small printing house based in Germany but soon entered the UK after launching ‘Bella’ magazine in 1987 and then became the UK’s third largest publisher under the name of H Bauer Publishing. In the UK there are two divisions of the Bauer Media Group, the original UK business trades as H Bauer Publishing under CEO David Godchild and it’s sister company is known as Bauer Media who’s CEO is Paul Keenan.

H Bauer Publishing BrandsH Bauer is a publishing brand that publishes magazines aimed at women and TV listing magazines, these include; Bella, Take a Break, That’s Life!, TV Choice and Total TV Guide as well as a range of puzzle magazines. The sister company of H Bauer publishing is UK Bauer Media.

Bauer Media BrandsBauer Media is a multi-platform media group, with locations around the UK. The Bauer Media Group acquired a collection of media brands, including heat and Grazia as well as a radio portfolio with stations such as KISS FM and Magic. Bauer Media also broadcasts TV music channels including The Box TV (joint venture with Channel 4) The sister company of UK Bauer Media is H Bauer Publishing.

Q magazineQ started out as a music magazine published every month in the UK. It was originally named Cue (after the act of cueing a record to play) but the name was soon changed so that it wouldn’t be associated or mistaken for a ‘snooker’ magazine. (Snooker = cue sport that is typically played on a table) The founders of Q magazine; Mark Ellen and David Hepworth felt that the music press at the time ignored a generation of older music buyers who were buying CD’s (then still a new development of technology) from artists such as Paul Simon, Level 42 and Dire Straits. Q was modeled after Rolling Stone magazine and was first published in 1986, setting itself apart from existing music magazines with monthly production and a much higher standard of photography and printing, with an emphasis of style. The Q music brand has been extended to Radio and TV, with Q radio and Q TV being music entertainment that specializes in indie, rock and alternative. Q also holds annual award shows and this is known as the Q awards. The Q awards have become one of Britain’s best shows much down to the controversy of some of the guests that attend.

Q’s audienceQ’s audience is composed of passionate, engaged and open minded fans of music who are driven by the discovery of new music. The audience is split 75% male to 25% female.

Kerrang!Kerrang! Is a brand that specializes in Rock music. It originally began as a music magazine but soon after Kerrang! Radio was launched in the year of 2004. Kerrang! TV then began in 2005, broadcasting music videos of the genre. It’s the world’s biggest selling weekly music magazine and the original multi-platform youth brand for all rock genres as it delivers the hottest news, reviews, gig guides, exclusive features, posters and much more. Kerrang! describes it’s audience as ‘young and individually minded.’

Box Television• 4 music• The box• Heat• Kerrang!• Kiss• Magic• Smash Hits

OfficesBauer Verlagsgruppe has offices located in many different countries across the world. These include; Germany, USA, Spain, France, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic, Mexico, China, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Nigeria and Australia.

Annual Turnover and ProfitTurnover of more than 1.79 billion Euro’s (2007)Pre tax profit of over 94million (March 2008)

Brand identityCaters to most peoples likes and interests. Range of magazines, no specific target audience.

Conde Nast is a mass media company headquartered in New York City. The company attracts more than 164 million consumers across it’s 20 print and digital brands: Allure, Architectural Digest, Brides, Glamour, GQ, Lucky, The New Yorker, Teen Vogue, Vanity fair, Vogue, W and Wired. The company was founded in 1909 by Conde Montrose Nast and has been owned and operated by the Newhouse family since 1959. Samuel Irving Newhouse JR is the chairman and CEO of Advance Publications, Charles H Townsend is it’s chief executive officer and Robert A. Sauerberg is it’s president. Conde Montrose Nast, launched his magazine empire in 1909 with the purchase of ‘Vogue’ magazine, which was created in 1982 as a New York weekly journal of society and fashion news. At first Nast published the magazine under the Vogue Company and didn’t incorporate Conde Nast until 1923. He had a flair of nurturing elite readers as well as advertisers and upgraded Vogue, sending the magazine on it’s path of becoming a top fashion authority. The company also launched British Vogue in 1916 and Conde Nast became the first publisher of an overseas edition of an existing magazine.

Conde Nast is largely considered to be the originator of the ‘’class publication’’, a type of magazine focused on a particular social group or interest instead of targeting It’s largest possible leadership.

The company launched Conde Nast Entertainment in 2011 to develop film, TV and digital video programming. The company also owns Fairchild Fashion Media and it’s portfolio of comprehensive fashion journalism brands: Beauty Inc, Footwear News, Style.com and WWD (Womenswear Daily).

Annual Turnover and ProfitsPre-tax profits at UK arm Conde Nast Publications tumbled 16 per cent to 8.8 million pounds last year, with revenues dipping 6.3 per cent to 110 million pounds. Turnover fell partly because Conde Nast axed the print edition of Easy Living and turned it to an online read only. In 2011 it’s worst performing magazine was ‘Glamour’ magazine which was down 11.3% to 470.138. It’s strongest title was ‘Wire’, which was up 4% to 52,136.

OfficesConde Nast is situated in New York but has many branches across Europe also. It’s offices are situated in; Chicago, London, Madrid, Miami, Milan, Paris and Tokyo.

Brand identityThe company has a very specific brand identity, compared to others such as Bauer. Conde Nast publishes very high class magazines; such as Vogue, and this is portrayed through the aesthetic of the magazines printing quality. They are all very glossy magazines and very thick in size. The magazines are usually full of advertisements but feature high fashion models and influential people and celebrities. They are all fitting to a particular house style.

History

1900: Conde Montrose buys Vogue magazine and then establishes Conde Nast publications. 1913: Vanity Fair magazine launched1914: Conde Nast elevates magazine photography with the arrival of Baron Adolf le Meyer. 1916: Conde Nast becomes the first publisher of an overseas edition of an existing magazine; Vogue. 1924: Conde Nast opened a state of the art printing press.1932: First colour edition of Vogue magazine printed.1939: Glamour magazine launched. 1959: Samuel Newhouse buys an interest in Conde Nast2009: Conde Nast announces the closure of three of it’s publications; Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride.

Future plc is a media company. It was ranked the ‘sixth largest media corporation in the United Kingdom’ in 2006. It publishes more than 180 magazines in very selective fields, such as; video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is also the official magazine company as all three major games console manufacturers; Nintendo, XBOX, Playstation. The company also owns Future US.

Market share/profitsIn November 2009, Future reported a fall in profits from 9.5million pounds to 3.7million (a loss of 61%) Future has a market share of 89million pounds.

Brand IdentityFuture does not have a specific brand identity. They cater to a large audience as their fields are so broad and selective. This fulfills the publics needs.

Today, future employs 1,200 people in offices in London, San Francisco, New York and Sydney. Within the UK’s branch they publish over 70 magazines alongside 60 websites and 27 annual live events and exhibitions.

Magazines they publish• 3D World• Classic Ford• Computer Arts• EDGE• Digital Camera World• Comic Heroes• CVG• FutureMusic• Guitar Techniques • MaximumPC• Nintendo • XBOX• Nphoto• Mac Life• SFX• Total Film• Windows 7

Which publisher would be the most appropriate and convenient for my magazine?

IPC Media- IPC Media publishes a select few music magazines already that are similar to the genre that I am thinking to base my own magazine on. These magazines are NME and Uncut.

Bauer – Bauer is home to some of music’s most popular and relevant magazines. These magazines include Q magazine and Kerrang! Not only does Bauer publish magazines but the company also broadcast television shows and radio stations specific to music.

Conde Nast- Although Conde Nast is a very influential brand that publishes a lot of quality, high impact, powerful magazines; I don’t think that it would be appropriate for my magazine to be published under that brand. Conde Nast caters to one main specific audience which is mainly high class women and I don’t think a music magazine would be very appropriate considering the only magazines they publish are fashion and lifestyle. It’s arguable that they could be missing a music magazine from their selection but I do not think that this would be the best move for my magazine brand.

Future- Future publishes a range of magazines from gaming to photography but like Conde Nast, I do not think that publishing my magazine under this house would be the best move to make.

Overall, I think that Bauer is the most relevant and appropriate for my magazine to be published under. Not only does it publishmagazines but it also broadcasts radio and television which could allow me to create a station for my magazine in the near future which would be a good business move.