Biography of O: The Oprah Magazine

1
Biography of O The Oprah Magazine

• By Dana A. Weyhing

2
O Magazine Mission Statement

• "With this magazine we have an opportunity to
  make a real mark. To speak and connect to women
  in a way no other publication ever has. To help
  women see every experience and challenge as an
  opportunity to grow and discover their best self.
  To convince women that the real goal is becoming
  more of who they really are. To embrace their
  life." Oprah
• O's point of view puts a fresh spin on all the
  elements of a well-lived life from fashion and
  beauty, to relationships, food, home design,
  books, health and fitness, work and finance,
  technology, self-discovery and caring for others.
  
• It's a banquet of lush images, generous in scale
  and spirit a feast of good writing that offers
  women compelling ideas, good sense, good taste
  and a good time.
• Oprah has made a phenomenal success out of
  connecting with people where they live. The
  magazine, like her, conveys integrity, evokes
  trust, promises pleasure. It's inspiring,
  sensual, warm, intimate, energetic.
• The magazine talks heart-to-heart with the
  reader, encouraging her to think about her life,
  what is true for her, what she wants rather than
  just what is wanted of her.
• Text from The Magazine Guys http//www.themagaz
  ineguys.com/oprah/mission-p.html

3
General Information
4
Important People
5
Editorial Mix
Source Media Analysis, Inc. O January 2001
December 2001 the Magazine Guys
6
Columns Appearing in Every Issue

• Monthly Calendar guide to exploring the months
  theme
• Live Your Best Life thoughts on living life to
  the fullest
• Something to Think About interactive and
  thought provoking
• O to Go portable inspiration
• Aha! Moment descriptions of personal
  revelations
• Use Your Life inspiring stories of women who
  make a difference
• Books that Made a Difference celebrities share
  personally influential books
• Comfort Zone making your own serene space
• The O List things Oprah thinks are great
• Girls Toys fun beauty products
• Reading Room new and intriguing books
• Great Food memorable culinary experiences
  (relationships and recipes)
• Minding Your Body health and fitness
• Breathing Space visually stunning diversion
• Love That guide to featured food, home, or
  fashion styles

7
Audience Demographics
Estimated 5.7 readers per issue.

• 11.8 Male
• 88.3 Female

Median age 42.4 Median Household Income 64,
705 Median Home Value 166, 108
8
1
3
2
4
5
6
7
9
8
9
Library Journal Review (courtesy of Ulrichs
online)
(Jun 15, 2000 ISSN 1531-3247)  Don't ask why
Oprah is putting out a magazine, ask what took
her so long? The buzz surrounding O The Oprah
Magazine heralds what will no doubt be one of the
most notable debuts of 2000. O manages to merge
the upscale style of powerhouse fashion and
lifestyle mags like Vogue and Vanity Fair with
the subject matter of her daytime television talk
show. Celebrities such as Tina Turner and Jewel
share tidbits of personal information while
inspirational gurus from all fields such as Suze
Orman, Gary Zukav, Phillip C. McGraw, Alice
Walker, Marianne Williamson, and Peggy Noonan
contribute to what is O's main goal to help its
readers fulfill their collective potential. As
Oprah herself states in her opening column, the
magazine is about spirituality and everyone's
potential to be more of who they are. Probably no
one in America has touched as many people in some
way as has Oprah Winfrey there's sure to be
strong demand for this in libraries nationwide.
10
Mr. Magazine Review (courtesy of Ulrichs online)
(Mar 12, 2001 ISSN 1531-3247)  The co-winner of
Samir Husni's "Most Notable Launch of the Year"
for 2000. . . The Oprah Magazine as another
vehicle to further her message to women. "A lot
of people think when I talk about spirituality
that I'm talking about pie in the sky stuff,"
said Winfrey. "But it's not. I'm talking about
how you get women to look at their daily lives
differently and see that through the stories of
other people." The magazine launched
aggressively in April with a circulation of
800,000 and later with a second run of 500,000.
It is billed as a personal growth guide for women
between the ages of 18 and 49.

• As editorial director, Oprah has said she is
  devoting about six hours a
• day to the magazine. And her hard work is paying
  off, as the magazine
• has seen financial success and circulation
  increases in its early stages. . .
• With her name recognition, Oprah should have no
  problem establishing a
• following in print to rival her television
  popularity.

The beauty of O, the Oprah Magazine is that it
transcends race, gender, and age, so that every
reader gets hooked, feels attached to the
magazine and wants to come back.
11
Amazon. Com
All Customer Reviews Avg. Customer Review
Based on 20 reviews.
Editorial Reviews From the Publisher A personal
growth guide that will give women the tools they
need to explore and reach for their dreams.
Aiming to give smart women confidence to express
their individual style and to make choices that
will lead to a happier more fulfilling
life. Following a no stress approach.
12
Epinions.Com
Magazine-Shop.Com
This great magazine has everything from book
reviews to fashion with nothing overdone. Each
issue has a theme such as stress reduction or
relationships, but not all the articles are on
that topic. The beginning of the magazine has
articles sprinkled about on a wide variety of
empowered women-centric topics. Most articles
generally suggest many drastically different
methods of dealing with an issue such as
meditation, problem solving, and experimental
therapies. There is much more content and fewer
advertising in this magazine than most other
popular woman's magazines. The graphic design is
so nice that the copies look like a little series
of books when stacked next to each other. Oprah
magazine makes me want to get a glass of
lemonade, sit under a large shade tree, read, and
relax.