Task 1: Secondary Research

Institutions Research

By Leah Hancox

IPC Media (International Publishing Corporation) was founded in 1958, owned by Time Inc. (the publishing company of Time Warner Inc.), and is one of the leading publications for consumer and digital communication in the UK. It currently produces over 60 iconic media brands selling approximately 350 copies each year reaching the UK’s top rate of leading publishers as 26 million UK adults consumes their media. IPC Media reach out to at least two thirds of the women in the United Kingdom as well as 42% of men who consume in magazines. However in digital communications they reach out to roughly 25 million users globally every month. It creates contents for multiple platforms, across print, online, mobile, tablets and events globally increasing their ratings and profits dramatically. Their publishing divisions within the company include: IPC Connect, IPC Inspire, IPC Southbank, IPC Advertising and IPC Marketforce. Their most popular music magazine IPC publish is ‘NME’, a mainstream magazine targeting people of young ages that enjoy the most popular and well known Indie Rock music. This magazine was first published in 1952 and celebrated its 50th year in the music industry last year. This magazine includes bands such as Florence and the Machine, Kings Of Leon, Two Door Cinema Club and The Article Monkeys, this genre and style focuses out to the majority of younger and newer generation age groups. The popular bands on the inside of the magazines are not the only advertising to get NME noticed. IPC have promoted the company of NME to create multiplatform levels by giving them their own radio station, ‘NME Radio’, website, ‘NME.com’, as well as making them one of the headline sponsors for festivals and events such as the Reading and Leeds Festivals. NME is the longest published music weekly magazine in the world, giving out the best coverage in contemporary music today, including: awards winning features, latest releases, new bands in the genre, live reviews and giving the readers always a chance to look through the 50 year heritage.

IPC Media have a wide variety of magazines that they produce; some mainstream and some niche. For example there are ‘NME’ which concentrate on more of a mainstream target market as this focuses on very popular music style which reaches out to a wide range of different people. However there are magazines such as ‘Cycling’ and ‘Camper’ which are niche magazines; targeting a particular type of person and their interests such as the sport of cycling or camper vans.

IPC Media advertise their magazines through the use of posters in local newsagents or supermarkets as well as some Television advertise for example to magazine ‘Women’s Weekly’ and ‘Soaplife’.

Bauer Media is a privately owned multi-platform publisher in Europe, the largest, covering publishing in UK, France, Portugal, Spain and Germany as well as publishing in the US and Mexico. This publishing group was founded in Hamburg in 1875 by Johann Bauer, this made four generations in the Bauer family under the management. It is a large company producing 282 magazines in 15 different countries, producing around 1.79 billion Euros every year. They also produce a range of online, television and radio stations in their publishing as well as magazines. Magazines and Radio are recognised as being industry leaders this is because around 12.4 million people listen to a Bauer media radio stations these include the top four in London. This includes ‘Kiss’ as one which targets a younger generation of people with popular dance music. Their biggest magazines published include ‘Kerrang’ which is a niche magazine targeting a more rocky edge type audience. Indie Rock also comes under this genre of magazine making it a very well known publication.

Bauer Media are a very large company, they have a variation of different magazines such as music, style, gossip, lads, sports and home. Some magazines such as ‘Q’ is a mainstream magazine the music it concentrates on is pop/dance which is an extremely popular genre with the newer generation and younger people. However a magazine such as ‘Bike’ is a niche magazine only concentrating on people with that particular hobby that they are interested in.

In similarity with IPC Media, Bauer Media advertise their magazines on the television or their radio station, for example on the ‘Kerrang’ Radio Station there is an advertisement that lets the target audience know what else they could buy and what else they would enjoy.

EMAP (East Midland Allied Press) focuses on business to business publishing. It was founded in 1947 as Top Right Group which is a British Media company. Their Head Quarters are based in London. They also focus on the organisation of business events and conferences. It is now owned by Apax and Guardian Media Group. For each genre there is a specific publication and each is different which contain specific content relating to an industry such as nursing, retail and media. These different publications attract a variety of different and wide audiences through magazines and online digital communications.

EMAP’s main music magazine is ‘Smash Hits’, this focuses on pop music which targets young teenagers. The bands and musicians are very young with the magazine having a more immature nature to the language. This magazine was published in the UK and ran from 1978 to 2006 publishing bi-weekly. It targeted younger girls who love listening to pop music, gossip and fashion, however was in competition with ‘Top of the Pops’.

EMAP magazines are very niche magazines, all the magazines they publish and produce are targeted towards very specific audiences which a particular interest or hobby. For example Nursing, Films and Fashion. They all target a very different type of person with a different interest.

EMAP do not advertise their magazines in a big way, they focus on maybe a poster in the local news agents but they do not use radio or television to communicate to the audience their magazines.

Future PLC is a media group that is international. It was founded in 1985 with only one magazine and now they have expanded dramatically with publications over the United Kingdom, United States and Australia creating on average 200 specialist publications as well as apps, websites and events.

The main groups they specialise in is: Technology, Entertainment & Video Games, Sports & Auto, Creative and Music.

TechRader (technology) is the UK’s number 1 website as well as other successful products such as Total Film, BikeRadar, MusicRadar, ClassicRock, GamesRadar, Digital Camera and Mollie Makes.

With all these publications Future PLC attracts over 50 millions digital consumers which look at over 100 different digital editions online and on tablet devices. 2.2 million magazines are sold every month through Future PLC publishing house and these are exported to around 89 different countries all over the world. This makes Future PLC the largest exporter and licenser of all magazine content in the UK.

Future PLC is like EMAP their variety of magazines are niche which target people with very specific interests and hobbies for example home making, gaming or heavy metal music. These magazines all have a specific audience that are all specific to that particular interest or hobby.

Future PLC however do advertise their magazines such as the official ‘Xbox 360’ and ‘Metal Hammer’. These are advertised on posters and sometimes on television such as with an Xbox game the magazine may be advertised after.

My Magazine Institution

I think IPC Media would own my magazine as they are one of the main bigger publishing industries and have had the biggest successes with magazines in the music business. At first I thought Bauer Media however they already have a magazine that would be similar to the genre and style of my magazine creating a competition within the company. However on the other hand IPC Media have not produced a magazine of the same genre and style as mine they have still however had a look of experience when know how to publish and promote a music magazine. They are a very well known and large company therefore will be able to use that advantage to make my magazine have the best success particularly when advertising through the media and creating a multiplatform such as a radio station or sponsors for events.

Applying Uses and Gratifications Theory To Magazine Production and Consumption

Institutions have taken the approach in the media publishers to understand ‘what people do with media’ rather than ‘what media does to people’. Therefore each institution has applied this to each magazine that they are planning to publish or produce for example they learn about the whole 100% of the audience and their needs making the magazine fit perfectly. This makes the audience interested in that specific magazine because the institutions have put their audience first.