Monday, February 16, 2009

FLASHBACK: Soap Mags Counter Industry Trends 1992

Growth in Soap Magazines Counters Industry Trend

Los Angeles Times
December 30, 1992

Like sand through an hourglass, magazines devoted to daytime soap operas suddenly have begun to flood newsstands at a time when many publications are folding.

Some of the hottest "books" around now are those that include features, photo spreads, favorite recipes and off-camera love affairs among the stars of the 11 daytime serials.

In recent years, the hard-hit magazine industry has lost a number of established magazines. Connoisseur folded earlier this year after 91 years. So did Men's Life, Fame, Egg and Memories. Family Media Inc., which published Discover, Health and five other magazines, folded in 1991.

Counter to the trend, soap magazines were growing in number. There are now seven magazines devoted to soap operas, five of which were begun in the past four years.

The magazines range from the guiding light of all daytime periodicals, glossy Soap Opera Digest (circulation 1 million) to recent upstarts, such as the National Enquirer's Soap Opera Magazine (circulation 350,000.)

The others include Soap Opera Weekly, Soap Opera Illustrated, Soap Opera Update, Episodes and the venerable Daytime TV. Daytime TV began publishing in 1970 and has a circulation of 180,000.

"It just exploded," said Lynn Leahey, editor in chief of Soap Opera Digest, which began publishing in 1975. "We were a well-kept secret for a while. Then other people caught on to what kind of market this was."

The company that publishes Soap Opera Digest, K-III, has since started Soap Opera Weekly (circulation 500,000) and began Soap Opera Illustrated in September.

Soaps in general are a lucrative market. Daytime serials on the three major networks account for about $1 billion in advertising profits. An estimated 40 million women out of 90 million adult women in the United States watch daytime soap operas.

Soap opera magazine editors attribute the growing interest in their publications to a continually expanding audience, more working women and VCRs.

"A lot of women going back to work are no longer watching every day," Leahey said. "Magazines allow them to keep up with soaps. Not everyone has time to watch five hours a week even if you tape them."

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