Family Computing

Last updated

Family Computing
FamilyComputingPremierIssue.jpg
Volume no. 1, Issue no. 1, September 1983
Editor-in-chiefClaudia Cohl
FrequencyMonthly [1]
Circulation 420,000 (August 1986) [2]
Publisher Scholastic [3] [4]
First issueSeptember 1983 (1983-09)
Final issueApril 2001 (2001-04) [5]
Country United States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.destinationsoho.com (Historical) Archived October 17, 2000, at the Wayback Machine
ISSN 0899-7373

Family Computing (later Family & Home Office Computing and Home Office Computing) was an American computer magazine published by Scholastic from the 1980s to the early 2000s. It covered all the major home computer platforms of the day including the Apple II, VIC-20, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit computers, as well as the IBM PC and Macintosh. It printed a mixture of product reviews, how-to articles and type-in programs. The magazine also featured a teen-oriented insert called K-Power, written by Stuyvesant High School students called the Special-K's. The section was named after a former sister magazine which folded after a short run. This section was discontinued after the July 1987 issue as part of the magazine's shift toward home-office computing.

Contents

History and profile

The first issue of the magazine appeared in September 1983. [6] It was notable in the early days for the wide variety of systems it supported with type-in programs, including such "orphaned" systems as the Coleco Adam and TI 99/4A long after other magazines discontinued coverage. There was also a spinoff TV show on Lifetime hosted by Larry Sturholm, [7] of which at least 26 episodes were produced. [8]

Another section of the magazine was contributed by Joey Latimer and dealt with music related themes. [9] [10] This mostly amounted to BASIC program listings that would play some sort of tune on the computer platforms covered by the magazine.

After the video game crash of 1983 the magazine began to change its focus toward the burgeoning home office movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, initiating coverage of non-computing products such as fax machines and office furniture. Article topics began to include ideas for starting a home-based business and time management tips. The title was changed, first to Family & Home Office Computing [11] and finally to just Home Office Computing [12] with ever-diminishing coverage of family computing topics.

In January 1998, Scholastic sold the title to Freedom Technology Media Group, [13] which published the magazine until the April 2001 issue. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Commodore User</i> British video game magazine

Commodore User, later renamed to CU Amiga, is a series of American and British magazines published by Commodore International.

<i>Datamation</i> American computer magazine

Datamation is a computer magazine that was published in print form in the United States between 1957 and 1998, and has since continued publication on the web. Datamation was previously owned by QuinStreet and acquired by TechnologyAdvice in 2020. Datamation is published as an online magazine at Datamation.com.

<i>Compute!</i> Defunct American home computer magazine

Compute!, often stylized as COMPUTE!, was an American home computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994. Its origins can be traced to 1978 in Len Lindsay's PET Gazette, one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET computer. In its 1980s heyday, Compute! covered all major platforms, and several single-platform spinoffs of the magazine were launched. The most successful of these was Compute!'s Gazette, which catered to VIC-20 and Commodore 64 computer users.

Newsfield Publications Ltd was a British magazine publisher during the 1980s and early 1990s.

<i>PCMag</i> Computer magazine

PC Magazine is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and continues as of 2024.

<i>Creative Computing</i> (magazine) Periodical literature

Creative Computing was one of the earliest magazines covering the microcomputer revolution. Published from October 1974 until December 1985, the magazine covered the spectrum of hobbyist/home/personal computing in a more accessible format than the rather technically oriented Byte.

<i>Personal Computer World</i> 1978–2009 British computer magazine

Personal Computer World (PCW) was the first British computer magazine. Although for at least the last decade it contained a high proportion of Windows PC content, the magazine's title was not intended as a specific reference to this. At its inception in 1978 'personal computer' was still a generic term The magazine came out before the Wintel platform existed; the original IBM PC itself was introduced in 1981. Similarly, the magazine was unrelated to the Amstrad PCW.

<i>Computer Weekly</i> British computer trade magazine

Computer Weekly is a digital magazine and website for IT professionals in the United Kingdom. It was formerly published as a weekly print magazine by Reed Business Information for over 50 years. Topics covered within the magazine include outsourcing, security, data centres, information management, cloud computing, and mobile computing to computer hacking and strategy for IT management.

<i>Micro Mart</i> British computer magazine

Micro Mart was a weekly computer magazine published in the United Kingdom by Dennis Publishing Ltd. As of 2015, it had a circulation of 5,422. In a letter to subscribers in December 2016 it was announced that the magazine would cease publication with issue No 1445 : "After 30 amazing years of telling it like it is, Micro Mart magazine is logging off."

<i>ANALOG Computing</i> Defunct Atari 8-bit computer magazine

ANALOG Computing was an American computer magazine devoted to Atari 8-bit computers. It was published from 1981 until 1989. In addition to reviews and tutorials, ANALOG printed multiple programs in each issue for users to type in. Almost every issue included a machine language video game—as opposed to Atari BASIC—which were uncommon in competing magazines. Such games were accompanied by the assembly language source code. ANALOG also sold commercial games, two books of type-in software, and access to a custom bulletin-board system. After the Atari ST was released, coverage of the new systems moved to an ST-Log section of the magazine before spinning off into a separate publication under the ST-Log name.

<i>Computing</i> (magazine) Weekly newspaper/magazine published in the UK

Computing is an online magazine published by The Channel Company for IT managers and professionals in the United Kingdom. The brand announced plans to launch in North America and Germany in 2023.

Bank Street Writer is a word processor for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, MSX, Mac, IBM PC, and IBM PCjr computers. It was designed in 1981 by a team of educators at the Bank Street College of Education in New York City, software developer Franklin E. Smith, and programmers at Intentional Educations in Watertown, Massachusetts. The software was sold in two versions: one for elementary school students published by Scholastic and a general version from Broderbund.

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, home consoles and arcades. It was published by LFP, Inc. from the late 1988 until the mid-1990s. Offering game reviews, previews, game strategies and cheat codes as well as coverage of the general industry, VG&CE was also one of the first magazines to cover both home console and computer games. The magazine gave out annual awards in a variety of categories, divided between the best of home video games and computer video games. The magazine featured original artwork by Alan Hunter and other freelance artists.

<i>.info</i> (magazine)

.info was a computer magazine covering Commodore 8-bit computers and later the Amiga. It was published from 1983 to 1992.

<i>80 Micro</i> Computer magazine published between 1980 and 1988

80 Micro was a computer magazine, published between 1980 and 1988, that featured program listings, products and reviews for the TRS-80.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirrel Rhoades</span>

Shirrel Rhoades is an American writer, publisher, professor, filmmaker, and the former executive vice president of Marvel Entertainment.

<i>The Computer Paper</i> Canadian magazine

The Computer Paper was a monthly computer magazine that was published in Canada from February 1988 until November 2008. The magazine was originally published by Canada Computer Paper Inc. It was purchased in 1997 by Hebdo Mag International of Paris, France, and then to Piccolo Publishing Ltd of Toronto in 2003. Publication ceased in November 2008 due to declining ad revenues.

<i>Byte</i> (magazine) Defunct American microcomputer magazine

Byte was a microcomputer magazine, influential in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s because of its wide-ranging editorial coverage.

<i>The Transactor</i>

The Transactor was a computer magazine directed at users of Commodore home computers.

References

  1. CHILDREN'S MAGAZINES FOR A COMPUTER AGE, By GLENN COLLINS, Published: September 10, 1983, NYTimes.com, Our magazine is primarily for parents, said Claudia Cohl, editor of Family Computing. Its 110 pages make it the heftiest of the new publications; the first issue of the magazine, published by Scholastic Inc., has just reached the stands. ... Family Computing , 730 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10003; $17.97 for 12 issues a year.
  2. Burroughs Down To Agency Finalists, August 8, 1986, By George Lazarus, Chicago Tribune, Scholastic Inc.`s Family Computing magazine celebrates its third anniversary with its September issue, but the ``real celebration`` ought to be with its October issue. The magazine, which has more than doubled circulation since its start-up to 420,000, will be running its first ad ever from General Motors Corp. on the back cover of its October issue. This is a corporate ad placed by N.W. Ayer, which has the corporate account.
  3. "There were 128 computer magazines being published in 1983," said Shirred Rhoades, who helped launch Family Computing for Scholastic, Inc.,... He said , "Dick Robinson, the chairman of Scholastic, went to a consumer electronics show, and he saw this new thing called a personal computer...So we launched Family Computing. Page 179, The Magazine Century: American Magazines Since 1900, By David E. Sumner
  4. Scholastic Magazine to Go Private, October 23, 1986, LISA A. LAPIN, Los Angeles Times, The company also publishes Family Computing magazine, which has 410,000 subscribers.
  5. 1 2 "FTMG Closes Home Office Computing; Launches DestinationSoho".
  6. "Premier Issue". Family Computing. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  7. Apparel Design Software 1984, I got a lot of press at the time for designing clothes using a computer, and was interviewed for a segment on a TV show called FAMILY COMPUTING., Lifetime, Family Computing, No. 423, 28.06, MTI Studios, Perlmutter, Inc./Scholastic, Inc. December 12, 1984
  8. "CHILDREN'S BOOKS COMPANY MAKES TV MARK" Stephen Farber, The New York Times, January 21, 1985
  9. "Joey Latimer Archives". Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  10. Joey Latimer History, In 1983 I was one of the founding editors of Family Computing Magazine and K-Power for Scholastic, Inc. My game, music, and utility programs were featured in The Programmer section of Family Computing.
  11. Magazine Gets A Name Change, October 9, 1987, Chicago Tribune, Family Computing magazine changed its name to Family & Home-Office Computing with the October issue. An ``Editor`s Note`` from editor-in-chief Claudia Cohl says the new name ``reflects the editorial direction of our magazine for the past year or two.`` The magazine is 4 years old.
  12. Magazines: A Complete Guide to the Industry, By David E. Sumner, Shirrel Rhoades, Page 9, Scholastic used positioning gurus Jack Trout and Al Reis to help plot a step-by-step transition from Family Computing to Family & Home Office Computing to finally simply Home Office Computing. This editorial adjustment followed a shifting marketplace.
  13. "Freedom Technology Media Group to Shut Down Home Office Computing; Title Geared to Home Office Workers Will Cease Publication With April Issue".