1 PULSE MAGAZINE: An exploration of Athens Ohio’s entertainment culture ____________________________________ A Thesis Presented to The Honors Tutorial College Ohio University _______________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Honors Tutorial College with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Journalism ______________________________________ by Bridget Nora Mallon May 2013 2 The American public seeks repose in the entertainment industry because it gives them the chance to escape their everyday lives, to indulge in something that does not require critical thinking and to take a step back from the sadness and defeat that dominate most sources of news. Countless people look for something light at the end 3 of the day, whether that be a rerun of their favorite TV show, a new album by their favorite band, or the latest release of their favorite magazine, instead of sitting down to watch the evening news, or read the daily newspaper. Magazines, in and of themselves are a form of entertainment, which makes them one of the most appealing sources of information for Americans who consume some form of journalism. Even if they are hard news based, magazines are perceived as more entertaining and enjoyable than other news sources. The average consumer sees reading magazines as a leisure activity, not solely as a way to find information. Unlike newspapers or TV news broadcasts, which people are likely to consume while engaging with other stimuli, magazine readers spend extended, uninterrupted, periods of time with their favorite publications. The average magazine reader spends 42 minutes with each issue, and is unlikely to engage with any other media during that time (MPA, 2011-12, p. 6, 15). They set aside this time to enjoy the experience of reading a magazine, to relish in the fact that they get to spend time doing something they enjoy, something they find relaxing or informative. Throughout my life I have been a voracious reader of magazines. I still remember the excitement I felt when the first issue of American Girl magazine, the first publication I was allowed to subscribe to, arrived in my mailbox. Running my fingers over the glossy cover, reading each word carefully and becoming entranced by the idea that such a niche publication could exist made me fall in love with the medium. My infatuation with magazines never faltered, and throughout my childhood I continued to subscribe to more publications, even saving my favorite issues in a 4 special basket in my room. I was always looking for new magazines to discover, and put most of my allowance into saving up for these glossies. They became my go-to source of entertainment whenever I felt stressed or just had some free time. When I came to Ohio University as a freshman, I began to foray that love for magazines into a passion for my journalism studies. I had always loved writing and although I knew that journalism was what I wanted to major in, I was afraid that as a journalism student I would be required to focus solely on what some people deem “real news” or the hard, breaking news that is most often found in newspapers and broadcast news. So upon entering OU, I was determined to find writing assignments that I enjoyed, ones that allowed me to create the kinds of stories I had always loved reading in my treasured magazines. During my freshman and sophomore years, I parlayed my interest in lifestyle and pop culture writing into my work as the music writer for The Post. I was tasked with previewing performances around Athens, writing features on local musicians and covering some of the more high-profile music events and concerts in Athens. This experience helped me discover that writing about musicians and people with creative spirits was a passion that I wanted to pursue. It was also the first taste of actual entertainment journalism I ever had, and I relished in the fact that I had the opportunity to write about what interested me, and tell stories that I knew would interest others. I was able to shed light on little known musicians and help spread the word about touring bands coming into town. The realization that my writing could 5 bring entertainment directly to someone helped me better understand that pop culture and arts based journalism had a distinct place in the entertainment world. Other than my work at The Post, the vast majority of the journalistic experience I have had while at OU has been centered on magazines. A large portion of the elective classes I took were magazine focused, these included Magazine Editing and Production, Magazine Feature Writing and Magazine Editing Practice. Outside of the classroom I also completed two internships at national magazines, one at Time Out New York and one at Family Circle magazine. I am also currently serving as the Editor in Chief of Thread magazine, an online magazine that is the only fashion based publication on campus, and have worked on Ampersand, the alumni magazine for the Honors Tutorial College for the past three years. Almost every extracurricular activity I participated in during my time as a college student has been related to magazines, and my experience working on both national consumer magazines and smaller campus based publications solidified my desire to not only work within the industry, but to understand it more fully as well. As my thesis year was approaching, I knew that I wanted to undertake a professional project that would allow me to create my own magazine prototype and gain more experience working with magazines. I knew that I wanted the chance to write original pieces of varying length and subject matter that would allow me to showcase the skills I had spent the past four years developing, and I knew I wanted something that could be published both online and in print. Creating a full four-color glossy magazine would give me the chance to create a polished piece for my portfolio 6 that would showcase not only my writing skills but my design skills as well. I have experience designing magazine layouts and wanted to add aesthetic interest to my thesis project, so it only made sense to make designing the magazine and all of its layouts part of my professional project. Although I have only taken one design class during my time at Ohio University, publication design is one of my hobbies outside of class, and I have developed my design skills by teaching myself on my own time. Taking on the task of designing every page in my professional project would allow me the chance to put my design skills to the test and fully rely on my own design instincts. I knew producing a magazine single handedly would be a significant undertaking, especially because I was used to working on publications with large staffs, but it was one that would challenge me greatly and allow me to grow as a journalist, editor and designer. Although I knew from day one that an original magazine was what I wanted to create for my thesis, landing on a subject matter for said magazine was far more difficult. I had several ideas floating around that fell through and others that just never fully formed, and I began to worry that I would never land on the correct subject for my project. I wanted to avoid a project that was too similar to magazine work I was already actively working on, so I ruled out anything fashion based in order to avoid any comparisons to my work at Thread. It was important to find a subject that was still of interest to me though, and in remembering the enjoyment I found in writing about musicians and entertainers for The Post, I decided to undertake my own entertainment magazine rooted in Athens, Ohio. Athens is a town known for its one-of-a-kind music 7 scene and having a community with great interest in the arts, and it is also the place where I have spent the past four years of my life. But, because the entertainment industry, even in a town as small as Athens, includes more than just music, I decided to expand slightly and include film in my magazine’s repertoire as well, which, as one of my specializations is film, also aligned quite nicely with my interests. The magazine that was to become my thesis began to take shape, and soon it became Pulse, an entertainment publication that encouraged Athens residents, visitors and the students who call this area home for even a brief period of time to keep their pulse on the town’s entertainment scene. Pulse allowed me to create a magazine for a small but specific audience, and further develop my magazine editing and production skills. I followed a typical entertainment magazine formula, and wrote briefs for the front of the book, as well as several long-form features and smaller department pieces. In all, I produced four briefs, four full-length features and two shorter department pieces, and was able to interview subjects who were active in the heart of the Athens entertainment community. I spoke with people who are well known and fully established in the entertainment scene in Athens, as well as people just starting to make their mark in the area. Pulse is intended to showcase the talents that abound in the area and share stories that people may not otherwise get to hear. Pulse Audience In order to more fully understand the direction in which to take Pulse and the content within its pages, it was important to nail down the specific audience the 8 magazine would target.