The two magazines I will be looking at are‘19’ (main stream) and ‘Peoples friend’ (niche) - I will discuss and compare the contents, layout, price, audience, and publisher - I will also include the link the magazines have with the read

         There are 122 pages in ‘19’, 30% of which are adverts advertising such things like perfumes, cleansers, shampoos, advice lines, mobiles, and make-up. This suggests that the audience is aimed at a younger generation. Regular features are fashion and beauty pages, letters from the readers, problem pages, real life stories, horoscopes, embarrassing moments and quizzes. ‘19’comes out every month and is available by subscription and various newsagents and supermarkets.

         On the front cover of ‘People’s friend’ it has the title in bright red bold letters with ‘Friend’ bigger then ‘People’s’. The main picture is an illustration of a building near a river with boats on the river and swans, with trees in the background. The colours used are very realistic colours like the river is a blue/green colour. Also on the front it advertises some of the contents, which are ‘lovely tops to knit’, and ‘more delicious fete makes’. Also on the front cover it is saying ‘free bracelet for every reader’ this is promoting the magazine. Other things on the front cover are the date, price, bar code and it says ‘the famous story magazine’.

         The publisher of people’s friend is DC Thompson and CO. LTD. This company publishers fourteen magazines and newspapers, such as ‘my weekly’, ‘shout magazine’ and ‘the evening telegraph’. They have been publishers since 1905, and produce over 200 million newspapers and magazines each year. ‘People’s friend’ is aimed for female readers and on average they have 939,000 readerships. The magazine is most popular in London and the south east of England and more popular with women over the age of sixty-five, this is because the publishers are aiming for this age group. The publishers describe the magazine as a ‘Popular fiction based weekly magazine for the older woman’.

         There are fifty-five pages in ‘People’s friend’ with 47% being adverts. The adverts inside mainly advertise mobility, stair lifts, comfortable chairs, comfort and support underwear and holidays and short breaks to quiet surroundings like in the countryside. This suggests that this magazine is for an older, retired woman. The regular features of this magazine are two long fictional stories, several short stories, and ideas on gardening, recipes and sewing.

         People’s friend compared to 19 looks like it has been made on a much lower budget, as there aren’t many actual pictures only illustrations, apart from in the adverts but other people supply them. There is definitely a clear difference to what audience they are aimed at, I can tell this by the adverts that are published and the contents of them both as in 19 it advertises about phone lines that u can talk to about your problems, and in people’s friend it advertises mobility services, so 19 is obviously for the younger generation.

        The difference on price is that people’s friend is only 58 p where as 19 is £2.40, however people’s friend comes out weekly and 19 comes out monthly so there isn’t much price difference. I would say that both magazines are middle class but I think 19 would be above people’s friend, because of the way it comes across, it looks more professional.

        In conclusion I think 19 would be more popular as I think it would appeal to a wider range of people as I would buy it and so would my sister who is thirty years of age. However people’s friend is especially aimed at the over sixty-fives so that’s what the publishers want.