A Guide to Finding Magazine Statistics, Media Use Data and Demographics

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FINDING CURRENT, RELIABLE MAGAZINE CIRCULATION DATA [Note: no single source offers current and complete data.]

• Understanding Magazine Circulation (8 pages)

• Audit Bureau of Circulation [Note: available only in Park Librarian's office. Password protected. Will demonstrate in class http://www.accessabc.com ]

• Bacon's Magazine Directory, 2006. [Note: on reserve in Park Library. Check at the Reference Desk. Park Librarian has current data online http://www.research.mediasource.com/ .]

• Marketer's Guide to Media, 2008. [Note: on reserve in Park Library. Check at the Reference Desk.]

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE BOOKS

• Magazine Dimensions (in Park Library  MAG .M188 2006)

• The 2006 Entertainment, Media & Advertising Market Research Handbook (in Park Library ADV-ref.E61 2006)

• Bacon's Magazine Directory (in Park Library REF-dir .b129m 2006)

• The Magazine Guide: 2006 (in Park Library MAG .H969 2006)

• The Editor in Chief: A Management Guide for Magazine Editors (in Park Library NMG .P317 2003)

• Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media (multi-volume series, 2004, in Park Library; entries are arranged by state, city, media titles.)

• SRDS: The Lifestyle Market Analyst, 2006

• SRDS: Consumer Magazines, 2007

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES (online databases, directories, and reports)

1. MediaWeek (a serial in our Park Library) offers every week a “market profile” of a different DMA (Designated Market Area). These market profiles can be searched online in InfoTrac OneFile http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid.
* Next, select "Publication Search" from the top of the screen. 
* Type "mediaweek" in the search box.
* Next, select "Advanced Search" from the top of the screen.
* Sample keyword search: market profile and (name of DMA wanted) and publication (mediaweek).  Try using "Charlotte" as the DMA. Your search will turn up several articles with the most recent one first.
     The following data will be included in the article about any DMA. [Note: another sample keyword search: magazine monitor AND publication (mediaweek). Magazine Monitor  (data offered according to titles of monthly magazines, weekly magazines, and biweeklies.) Data includes circulation, rate base, and current number of pages with comparisons to previous year.]

·        Ad spending by media in the market profiled

·        Scarborough Profiles of market profiled to the top 50 average by demographics, media usage (average audiences), media usage (CUME audiences), Internet usage during past 30 days, and home technology.

·        Audit Bureau of Circulation of newspapers and magazines in market profiled

·        Arbitron’s radio listenership and radio station ownership in market profiled

·        Nielsen TV Ratings (evening news and late news) for market profiled.

3. Publishers Information Bureau
  Magazine Publishers of America - Ad Categories & Demographics
PIB is a membership organization that tracks the amount and type of advertising carried by consumer magazines. PIB reports the pages and rate card dollars of advertising for approximately 250 publications (including supplements) by title of publications, by classification and advertising, and by company and brand or service advertised.

4. MediaLifeMagazine (for media planners and buyers)
http://medialifemagazine.com/

5. Audit Bureau of Circulation. Audit reports from magazines and newspapers for recent three years. This database is available only through Park Librarian. Call to make an appointment.  

6. Center for Media Research 
http://www.centerformediaresearch.com/ This site requires registration but otherwise offers selected data free. Included is a 2007 guide of media planners' spending trends. There are also research briefs current and archived. CMR's Research Library offers links to sites around the net with specific useful research information for media planning and buying such as Media Matrix.

7. The State of the News Media: 2008
http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/2008/
Select the section Magazines, then examine "Audience." Results will be cover: Intro | Content Analysis | Audience | Economics | Ownership | News Investment | Public Attitudes | Conclusion | Charts & Tables | Roundtable |

8. Mintel Reports http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/
Click on "M" and scroll to Mintel Reports. Click on link and follow the screen directions. First-time users will need to register with email address and create a password. Read instructions carefully about how to search this database. [Description: Mintel is a leading provider of competitive media, product, and consumer intelligence. The company produces market research reports for Europe, the UK, and the US. Reports cover a variety of sectors including consumer goods, travel and tourism, financial industry, internet industry, retail, and food and drink. Reports discuss market drivers, market size and trends, market segmentation, supply structure, advertising and promotion, retail distribution, consumer characteristics, and market forecasts. Mintel Reports can be viewed or downloaded. Reports are exportable in .rtf or .zip format. Reports are customizable - mark the boxes next to the sections you want to include.]

9. . Demographics links:

• http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/hotlinks.html
• Decennial Census Occupation Reports (occupation reports, county and state, for North Carolina state)
• Demographics of Internet Users

10. North Carolina Magazines (selected directory)

11. City and Regional Magazines on the Web [Note: see also City and Regional Magazine Association.]

12. Magazine Launch

13. Magazine Web Sites

• http://www.newpages.com/npguides/altmags.htm
  [Note: The NewPages Guide to Alternative Periodicals lists (and links to) hundreds of alternative magazines published in the U. S. and throughout the world.]
   
• http://www.magazine.org
  [Note: The site of the Magazine Publishers of America, the industry association for consumer magazines, includes magazines facts and data.]
   
• http://www.mrmagazine.com
  [Note: The web site of a leading magazine expert, Samir Husni, a University of Mississippi journalism professor also known as "Mr. Magazine." An excellent source for tracking new magazine titles.]
   
• http://www.foliomag.com
  [Note: Folio Magazine is the magazine for magazine management. It serves the entire magazine industry. ]
   
• http://www.ConsumerReports.org
  [From Consumer Reports web site: Consumer Reports scientifically tests and rates thousands of products every year. More than 100 experts work in 7 major areas -- appliances, cars, baby & kids, electronics, foods, health & family, and recreation & home improvement to empower consumers with information to make the best purchasing decision. It is a non-profit organization that is supported by the subscriptions to its web site and magazine. To maintain its independence, Consumer Reports does not accept any outside advertising and any free test samples.]
   
• http://www.condenast.com  
  [Note: Home to Conde Nast Publications, one of the leading magazine publishers. Includes Links to the media kits for the company's publications can be downloaded from this URL http://www.condenastinternational.com/ .]
   

Barbara Semonche, Park Library Director
January 2009