Ampersand's Entertainment Guide

Last updated
Ampersand's Entertainment Guide
Ampersand 1987 Dinosaur Rock.jpg
September 1987 cover
Editor Judith Sims
CategoriesEntertainment
FrequencyQuarterly
Circulation 1.2 million
PublisherAlan Weston Communications
FounderJeffrey A. Dickey
Durand W. Achee
First issue1977
Final issue1989
CountryUnited States
Based in Burbank, California
ISSN 0885-9469

Ampersand's Entertainment Guide was a magazine aimed at college students, providing articles about music, arts and entertainment. [1] From 1977 to 1989 it was offered free as a supplement to various campus newspapers.

Contents

History

The magazine began as Ampersand in 1977, founded by Jeffrey Alan Dickey and Durand Weston "Randy" Achee, published through their privately held company Alan Weston Communications based in Burbank, California. (The company name came from the men's middle names.) Ampersand was distributed as a free supplemental insert to college papers. The founders modeled the magazine after Parade , delivered as an insert to the Sunday editions of major metropolitan newspapers, drawing income from advertisements. Ampersand was initially financed with about $100,000 in capital, including a stake from Wolfman Jack, Achee's uncle. [2] Early interest came from record labels who signed on as advertisers, hoping to sell albums to college students. [2] By 1978, Ampersand was available at 50 colleges, [3] increasing to 170 colleges by 1987. [2]

The magazine was originally styled as "& Ampersand", with the typographic figure ampersand meaning "in addition to", matching the magazine's distribution model. It was published nine times during the school year, once a month from September to June. [4] Ampersand changed its style to Ampersand's Entertainment Guide in 1987, and shifted to quarterly publication. [2]

By 1988, the market for college magazines was seen as "glutted", with some major competitors shutting down such as Chris Whittle's Campus Voice and Newsweek 'sOn Campus. [5] Alan Weston Communications worked to gain market share by publishing additional campus magazines. In 1981, they tried Beyond, a science and technology-oriented college magazine, and in early 1985 a photography magazine called Break and then Freeze Frame, but these folded. In September 1985 they started College Woman which reached half a million students. They added Moving Up in early 1986, aimed at college men, and College Musician in September 1986, for music educators. Ampersand's Entertainment Guide was reported in 1987 as reaching 1.2 million students, the same as Newsweek'sOn Campus. [6] [7] Outside of the college market, Alan Weston Publishing produced The Movie Magazine in 1983. [8]

Staff

Ampersand's editor was Judith Sims, [1] a music journalist who had been the editor of TeenSet magazine in the 1960s, a contributor to Melody Maker in the 1970s, and the Los Angeles Bureau chief for Rolling Stone . [9] Sims later edited the Alan Weston publication The Movie Magazine. [8] Other contributors to Ampersand included food writer Colman Andrews and music/film critic Jacoba Atlas. [1] Music scholar Ed Cray joined in 1978. [10]

Closure

Alan Weston Publishing encountered difficulties with advertisers in 1988, and shut down all of their campus magazines in early 1989. [11]

Related Research Articles

Ithaca College Private college in Ithaca, NY USA

Ithaca College is a private liberal arts college in Ithaca, New York. The college was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca, Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and gorges. The college is best known for its large list of alumni who have played substantial roles in the media and entertainment industries.

Occidental College Liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States

Occidental College is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in as a coeducational college in 1887 by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast of the United States.

Leonard Maltin American film critic and film historian

Leonard Michael Maltin is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.

California State University, Long Beach Public university in Long Beach, California, United States

California State University, Long Beach is a public university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the third largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities in the state of California by enrollment, its student body numbering 38,074 for the Fall 2019 semester. With 5,290 graduate students, the university enrolls one of the largest graduate student populations across the CSU system and in the state of California.

Pitzer College Private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, United States

Pitzer College is a private residential liberal arts college in Claremont, California. One of the Claremont Colleges, the college has a curricular emphasis on the social sciences, behavioral sciences, international programs, and media studies.

Webster University University in Webster Groves, Missouri

Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It is an independent, non-profit, non-denominational university with multiple branch locations across the United States. The university also has a strong international presence, maintaining campuses in a multitude of countries across Europe and Asia and an extensive study-abroad program. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs in various disciplines, including the liberal arts, fine and performing arts, teacher education, business and management. In 2019, Webster enrolled 9,966 students. The university has an alumni network of around 170,000 graduates worldwide.

The Salt Lake City, Utah, area includes many diverse media outlets, not only found within the official city boundaries, but also in the greater Wasatch Front urban area.

Molly Sims American actress

Molly Sims is an American model and actress. She has appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the early 2000s, and played Delinda Deline in the NBC drama Las Vegas.

<i>The Independent Florida Alligator</i> newspaper in Gainesville, Florida

The Independent Florida Alligator is the daily student newspaper of the University of Florida. The Alligator is one of the largest student-run newspaper in the United States, with a daily circulation of 35,000 and readership of more than 52,000. It is an affiliate of UWIRE, which distributes and promotes its content to their network.

Cypress College public community college in Cypress, California, USA

Cypress College is a comprehensive community college located in Cypress, in southern California, United States. The college is one of 112 in the California Community Colleges System and belongs to the North Orange County Community College District. It offers a variety of general education, transfer courses, and 145 vocational programs leading to associate degrees and certificates.

<i>The Cornell Daily Sun</i> newspaper in Ithaca, New York

The Cornell Daily Sun is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees.

Greenwich High School Public school in Greenwich, Connecticut , United States

Greenwich High School is a four-year public high school in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. The school is part of the Greenwich Public Schools system and serves roughly 2,700 students.

The Los Angeles Film School is a for-profit college in Los Angeles, California offering associate and bachelor's degrees in majors relating to the entertainment industry. The school encompasses the Los Angeles Recording School and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.

Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication

The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is a constituent college of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. Established in 1915, Grady College offers undergraduate degrees in journalism, advertising, public relations, and entertainment and media studies, along with master’s and doctoral programs of study. Grady has consistently been ranked among the top schools of journalism education and research in the U.S. It is home to several prominent centers and institutes, including the Peabody Awards, recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in electronic journalism, the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, New Media Institute and National Press Photographers Association.

Malibu High School Public school in the United States

Malibu High School (MHS) is a public secondary school in Malibu, California for middle school and high school. As one of three high schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, MHS serves the Malibu and Santa Monica communities and by inter-district permit, the greater Los Angeles area and Ventura County.

<i>College Tribune</i>

The College Tribune is a student newspaper which serves Ireland's largest third level institution, University College Dublin. It was established in 1989 with the assistance of journalist and broadcaster Vincent Browne who was attending the university as an evening student at the time. Browne noted the campus' lack of a news outlet which was independent of both the university and University College Dublin Students' Union and alongside founding editor Eamon Dillon set up the Tribune to correct this. Initially, a close working relationship was maintained between the Tribune and the Sunday Tribune which was at the time edited by Browne. This relationship afforded the paper the use of professional production facilities in its fledgling years. Ultimately however, the student newspaper would long outlast its national weekly counterpart with the Sunday Tribune having ceased publication in 2011. The College Tribune is UCD's oldest surviving newspaper having been published continuously for over 30 years. The current editors of the 33rd volume of the paper are Stephan Kisbey-Green and Luke Murphy.

Stryker McGuire is a journalist working in London. McGuire is features editor at Bloomberg Markets, a bi-monthly publication of Bloomberg News. From October 2009 to March 2011, he was the editor of LSE Research, a magazine published by the London School of Economics and Political Science. Between 1978 and 2009, he was a correspondent, bureau chief, editor and contributing editor at Newsweek magazine. McGuire was also the founding editor of International Quarterlyand an associate at Lombard Street Research, an economics consultancy in the City of London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Greg Sims is an American entertainment executive, film producer, and writer, best known for his work in independent film and in giving early opportunities to major talent.

Elizabeth Sims American writer and editor

Elizabeth Sims is an American writer, journalist, and contributing editor at Writer's Digest magazine. She is a former correspondent for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and author of two series of crime novels, including her Rita Farmer Mystery Series, originally published by St. Martin's Press Minotaur and Lillian Byrd Crime Series, originally published by Alyson Books. She has also published a stand-alone novel, Crimes in a Second Language, under her personal imprint, Spruce Park Press. Crimes in a Second Language was awarded the Silver Medal for General Fiction in the Florida Book Awards 2017. Her nonfiction works include You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams, published by Writer's Digest Books, articles, short stories, poems, and essays for magazines and books. She also serves as a coach and mentor for new and aspiring writers and offers keynote speeches and presents workshops at writer's conferences around North America.

Judith Sims American journalist, music critic and magazine editor

Judith Sims was an American journalist, music critic, and magazine editor. She was the first editor of the rock magazine TeenSet in the 1960s. Later she was the Los Angeles bureau chief for Rolling Stone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dickey, Jeffrey A.; Achee, Durand W. (September 30, 1977). "From the Publishers" Ampersand, p. 3. Via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bates, James (March 24, 1987). "Campus Entrepreneurs : Pair Go From 'Toga Parties' to Magazines". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  3. Hall, Claude (January 28, 1978). "Don Kelley Firm in 'Howling' Expansion". Billboard . Vol. 90 no. 4. p. 97. ISSN   0006-2510.
  4. "Advertising". The New York Times. June 12, 1979. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  5. "National Magazines Struggle on Campus". The New York Times. April 20, 1988. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  6. Montana, Costanza (February 18, 1987). "New Magazines Try to Target College Market". Wall Street Journal
  7. Frichtl, Paul (1987). "New Life from a Divided Campus ". Folio .
  8. 1 2 The Movie Magazine, Winter 1983, vol. 1, no. 1
  9. "Judith Sims; Journalist, Advocate for Writer Copyrights". Los Angeles Times. March 29, 1996. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  10. "Contributors". Ampersand, September 1978.
  11. "Magazine for college women faces rocky road". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. Associated Press. April 17, 1989. p. 20 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg