Last Friday, Ed got some bad news. His beloved CosmoGirl is following in the footsteps of Teen People and ELLEgirl, R.I.P.
Many insiders believe teen mags are unable to sustain their reader base because most teens want to read Cosmo, not its younger sister, and turn to cheap weeklies like Us Weekly or People for their celeb fix. News reports about ad pages flooded Ed's screen, but all he could think about were his friends at the mag trying to pay rent or health insurance bills for the next few months.
Breaking into the industry is notoriously tough, but is this more evidence that print is getting closer to its last breath? Even CG founder Atoosa Rubenstein spoke out about the industry's dire situation: “I don’t think it’s the death of the girl, but the death of the magazine, and certainly the sign of the times” she told WWD.
Everything's been hit by the recession economy and ad pages are no exception. Thousands are getting laid off in every industry. Ed's other friends think the mag world is here to stay--albeit in a different form. Ed has been brushing up on his HTML, but can't field a lingering doubt that maybe his parents are right and it's time to give up that pesky childhood dream of writing for a living? Ed hates to say it, but is it time for whipping out those dusty law school applications?
What do you think? Will it be tougher for college grads to get jobs in May than ever before? Are Seventeen and Teen Vogue next? Ed wants to hear your thoughts!
Love,
Ed
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26 comments:
I don't think journalism can ever die off because we certainly do need news and entertainment. But, the web is getting big right now. As a web editor, I'm a little less scared about job prospects.
I grew up loving magazines. In every store I went in with my mom I always drifted off to the magazine stand. After one year of working as a newspaper reporter and zero success as a freelancer, I must admit I don't think writing for magazines is sustainable as a career or as an industry. I'm now planning on returning to school to get a master's in a health field. One day I'll make it to NYC and a magazine, but it's just not priority #1 anymore.
Seventeen will NEVER die. Teen Vogue... not so sure. I hope they both last 'til the end of time.
This is so upsetting to me because ever since I can remember, I have loved magazines and it is my dream to write for and work for one of the magazines that I have grown up reading. Now the industry seems to be deteriorating before i can get to it. I don't think it is fair that I should have to give up my hopes and dreams just because of changing times. I guess I will just have to modify my dreams in order to go along with the times, but I will not give up. This is what I want to do and I won't let anything get in my way.
As a college student who will be graduating this May, I'm not going to let these hard financial times impact my plans that drastically. Yes, it's scary to be entering an industry where huge publications like Cosmogirl are folding left and right. But, for anyone who hopes to work for a magazine, they have to realize that this just means we can't be so narrow-minded about what we want to do. I never thought that I would write for an online magazine, but now I have to make it an option for myself. It helps to remember that many industries are changing right now, not just ours.
I heard about this awhile ago and it upsets me that CosmoGIRL will no longer be in circulation! With so many magazines going downhill, I'm scared to see what will happen next. I hope that Seventeen will survive, however. That has always been one of my favorites growing up and I would love to work for them someday. And if companies feel as if their readers are looking to the 'older' magazines for advice, maybe that should tell the magazine that the youth in today's nation is growing up faster. There are a lot of things we can do, it's just what will work? LONG LIVE SEVENTEEN!
Is it going to be hard to break into the industry in May you ask? It's hard NOW, for those of us that have been trying to break in since LAST May. Word on the street: publishing giants are cutting back on new hires...and Conde Nast is one of them; asa mater of fact, right now they are implementing a "hiring freeze". Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) it's no longer a matter of credentials and competing against the next best girl with just as many fabulous internships--it's just bad timing. Hang in the Editorial Girls! Maybe it's not time to consider Law School just yet, but Ed's right: brush up on those HTML skills...Freelancers (and bloggers) won't be going out of fashion anytime soon.
I interned at CosmoGIRL! and loved it dearly, but I think everyone needs to face that teens no longer consider teen mags as their bible. They don't look to editors for support and acceptance. They are looking to each other for it--on facebook, myspace, etc.
I think our journalism degrees are valuable though--we learned how to become effective communicators. But we shouldn't pigeonhole ourselves into making one type of media because the world is changing too fast for that now.
I volunteer with a Latinita teen magazine called Latinitas magazine. We've always been online, but now we've started a social network www.latinitas.ning.com to build a community of Latina teens. Girls don't want the one-way conversation magazines provide anymore. So, we're trying to give them a new space to find what they're looking for.
I don't think magazines will die, just certain types of magazines. (i.e. teen magazines). Like stated in your article, teen girls rather read the big sis mag. So, these magazines can either start gearing towards older audiences, or fizzle out. Magazines will always play as a form of entertainment as well as self-help and news, plus so much more...
I agree with Dana. The journalism industry is tough enough as it is...most of us who graduated THIS May still haven't found jobs. Unfortunately, I'm one of them. And when you've been job searching for over 6 months like I have, you can't help but start thinking of other options. I've started a blog in the meantime so that I can keep up with my writing, but I can only hold out for so long. Thank goodness for awesome, supportive parents though!
Although the magazine industry is declining, I don't think it will ever die off completely. Many people are dedicated readers to a certain magazine and buy them for their convenience and ability to go anywhere.For me, I buy magazines that when I want something to read when working out, waiting for an appointment or anytime I need to fill my time with some entertainment. Many places which access to a computer seems difficult and pointless.
Entering the magazine world might be quite a challenge right now, but I believe that there will be room in the future. We are in an economic recession right now and consumers eliminate non-essential purchases. When our country recovers from the recession, I think the industry’s sales and job hires will rise again.
I think it will be harder for May grads to get jobs than it has been in the last decade, but that isn't to say that jobs won't be available. And it's not just the journalism/ magazine world that is hurting, it's every industry. But, it is important to remember that there is ALWAYS room at the top. I think if anything, it is essential to get yourself out there-- I know it sounds cliché, but it will be the best thing you have going for you. Find an internship, study abroad, network, volunteer your time for a non-profit organization, do as many things as possible to give yourself a leg up. Every girl/guy who wants to become the next magazine goddess/god has an education. You have to have something more.
I don't think it's quite time to apply to law school, but we do need to take the next step. Oh and keep reading!
Good writing and research skills will always serve us well. We just may need to shift our expectations for employment. For example, trade magazines and niche publications are not struggling as much as general interest consumer publications. Jobs are out there, but competition is fierce and looks to get fiercer. Try freelancing to pay the bills while you look for staff work.
I'm a journalist in the Mid-west and an Army Reservist who got mobilized this year and although leaving my family, home and job for a year or maybe two is heartbreaking the silver lining is that it affords me the time to watch the industry and see where it's going with out the fear of losing my job and being homeless. I think a lot of us are worried about that right now - one of my graduate school professers and I just had a conversation about your question last night - maybe not law school but rebranding and going Web might be the way to continue to write and impact peoples lives without the bean counters looking over our shoulders.
Ironically, I just finished doing some LSAT prep. I've been laid off and bouncing from internship to internship since July. I think magazines will become mostly online entities unless they are trades or the premiere print mag for a genre(Like Seventeen or Essence). Hopefully, when the economy comes back around, the ad revenues for print and online can go up so we can get jobs back
I've worked in magazine publishing for 4+ years and recently moved into PR. Journalism is changing at a rapid pace and it has very little to do with the economic downtown, but everything to do with the way people get their news. B-School Reporter is correct when she says girls don't want one-way communication anymore - this is true for most folks, especially Gen Y consumers. It's all about connecting and engaging people in conversations about what's happening, not just writing about what's happening.
My advice to budding journalists: get on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. and get in the conversation. Find writers you admire and connect to them online. Write articles, blog posts, Facebook notes, etc. on what people are talking about and tell everyone about them.
Although more people are getting their news online, print magazines and newspapers will always be around. People don't like to be on the computer all day long, and it's nice to get away from it all while reading a book, magazine or newspaper - something you can physically hold - instead of a screen.
I agree that when it comes to the teen market, younger girls are looking to social networking and interactive sites for the advice and answers they are looking for, but websites will never replace print media; they can only serve as interactive supplements and something to read before the next issue.
In my opinion, going to law school if you don't 100% want to be a lawyer is a colossal waste of money. If you're going to go into debt, do it by buying fabulous shoes and bags :)
Forget about it being hard for new grads...what about us old grads who are still trying to get a foot in the door? I graduated in 2000 with a book of clips (mainly from a particularly large city newspaper where I worked as an EA for a year and a half during school). I've been lucky enough over the years to get some freelance gigs with some major outlets (both online and magazine), but trying to get a full-time gig has proven to be quite the difficult task, unless I want to work for free - and I'm too old for that. And getting laid off from my "day job" - via mass email, while in the *hospital*, btw - 3 months ago hasn't helped much. New grads - be prepared to take a day job to get by. It might not be the dream, but these are tough times and you gotta do what you can to survive - but don't count out freelancing. It can keep you in the game even if you're not full-time. As for me, I think it's time I learned more HTML and thought outside the box.
When I was younger I looked forward to my health dose of teen reads. I think it's important for us to hold onto these teen magazines. Girls now a day I maturing a lot faster than we use to. I don't think it's necessary for a 13 year old girl to read Cosmo. I think a fresh take on how we market these teen magazines is a must. Maybe instead of "Teen" Vogue, or Elle "Girl," we should go for a more older sounding name and market to an age group exactly what they want- something made for older women. Not necessary change the content, but change the look. Growing up as a girl in her teens is ruff. We need these magazines for them.
I certainly think many magazines are struggling right now, and some are bound to die out. Teenagers these days are more anxious to grow up and be seen as more sophisticated, and they just aren't reading "teen magazines" as much anymore. So certainly, I expect teen magazines to slowly collapse. I think they are first to go, in fact. Next, I think magazines who have a very narrow, not necessarily popular, audience may also go. However, there are ALWAYS editing jobs somewhere. You might just have to modify your place of work and be open to what comes your way. It might not mean starting fresh out of college at some glossy magazine in the city, but you can always try in the future. I have a positive outlook for the future, especially when ad revenue will pick up. I would highly reccomend learning HTML and online skills in the meantime, though. You'll have an edge and be more flexible about job opportunities. I am currently training myself in editing skills AND online skills at my current internship.
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