Joggers World Magazine Covers

The SNL dude kept his shirt on (thank goodness)

George kept his shirt on. But you can keep track at:

http://www.twincitytc.org/Resources/RWCovers.asp

What guy was it from SNL?

Yeah, and they had an article this month on how to race a 5K on 15 miles a week. The cover person was some celebrity I had never heard of who "ran" a 4:30 'thon. Typical. Many moons ago, joggers world featured elite runners on the cover...now they feature celebs/models jogging on the beach and smiling like a goon.

I just cancelled a 21 year subscription to "Jogger's World". Need I say more???

Will Ferrell I think

It was Will Farrell. Rodale Press got the idea from reading the "Rexing 13:55 in trainers" thread in which a series of posters stole bits of dialogue from old SNL sketches.

He did run a marathon in about 4:30 but that's no slower than the typical RW cover model/"runner" time - for those cover models who actually run marathons, that is. Usually the models, non-runners with huge fake tits and capped teeth, are identified in the table of contents as "Missy McCrotch, avid RW reader."

POP QUIZ:

Legend has it that the "Sports Illustrated" issue with golfer Craig Stadler on the cover remains SI's worst-selling issue since the early 1970s. The annual "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue, sells bazillions of copies. "Mens' "Health," which features beefcake steroid puppies on every cover, is one of the biggest-selling magazines in north America.

Based on these three statements, construct an appropriate strategy for selecting a cover for a hypothetical mass-market health-oriented magazine cover.

"Modern Maturity" has a circulation that is 15 million greater than Men's Health. How does that stat fit into your quiz?

Lets see, Alan Culpepper... or busty social jogging fitness model?

I've got RWs from as early as 1976. Covers include, off the top of my head, Lasse Viren, some SoCal joggers, Salazar and Rono etc in XC, Susan Anton, Penny DeMoss with nipples, Grete Waitz, Bill Rodgers, a mound of coffee beans, a pile of shoes, a piece of modern art by the sheet guy (Christos?), the lead pack in the 80 Oly trials thon. More real or wellknown runners, but a good sprinkling of oddities and celebrities even then.

This month's issue is Kristia Knowles, blond bombshell who ran the marathon in a whopping 4:43:20, enough said...

Will ask the obvious and you can discuss it amongst yourselves: If you were ultimately responsible for the success of RW, what parameters would you consider for your choice of a cover shot?

Boys and girls, there are a few mags out there that folks buy for the content alone and would buy even if it can w/a brown paper bad cover. Largely, however, pop culture rules out on cover choices. It sells. For RW, over half a mil per issue.

Some would think I'm defending RW cover shots. Nope. I prefer plain old shots of folks running, the bigshots, etc like back in the 60's and 70's.

scotth wrote:

Boys and girls, there are a few mags out there that folks buy for the content alone and would buy even if it can w/a brown paper bad cover.

Dang, this runny nose thing is a pain. What I meant to say is:...and would buy even if it caME w/a brown paper baG cover.

Yeah, I hear you all. They are just trying to sell mags/make $, so what are you gonna do ? (except, buy a DIFFERENT running publication). But there are a couple of things that bother me about their covers:

 If you wanna put a model on the cover, do it, but DON?T put: ?On the cover, Jenny Hottie, RW reader who runs 5k?s occasionally.? Just because she read the magazine while waiting for you to take her picture does NOT maker her a ?RW reader.? And just because she ran a couple 5k?s in her life has very little to do with her born-with/paid for good-looks/big boobs. RW doesn?t have to be misleading/dishonest about it the whole running = perfect looks BS.

 There are some really good looking GOOD runners. Maybe not at the ulta-elite level (except Suzie of course). I am sure there are really good runners out there who have a bod that could sell a magazine. I don?t think they are looking very hard. And a very recent cover had some chick doing sit-ups, and she was only average looking. Not a model by a long-shot. Her running credentials? A 4+ hour marathon. Neither fast nor particularly hot (decent looking for sure, but not cover-model material at all). How did SHE get on the cover??

Here would the ideal way they should choose their cover models:

1. Running credentials period

2. Running + good looks as a second consideration

3. Looks, with a smidgen of running thrown in

4. Looks period.

They got the whole thing backwards.

And two months ago some guy named Dan Browne made the cover. Apparently he only won a major marathon in 2:11:35 last fall. What a joke.

Along with Dan Browne, Carrie Tollefson and Sarah Schwald have been recent cover subjects

KK was on the cover not too long ago.

What's all the bitchin' about?

Pariah wrote:

Along with Dan Browne, Carrie Tollefson and Sarah Schwald have been recent cover subjects

Yeah, but how about some UGLY accomplished runners? Surely they exist!

Here's an interesting if somewhat outdated link to the top 200 consumer mags in the US, ranked by paid circulation (I've also pasted some of this info at the bottom of this post):

National Geographic does OK at 8,000,000+ and they have some pretty ugly "cover models." I guess a particular rag's target audience plays a small role, eh?

1 Modern Maturity $220,000 20,402,096 -0.3%

2 TV Guide $130,700 13,085,971 -0.6%

3 National Geographic Magazine $167,310 8,783,752 -2.5%

4 Better Homes & Gardens $163,600 7,616,114 0.0%

5 Family Circle $124,030 5,005,084 -1.0%

6 Ladies' Home Journal $117,000 4,521,970 0.2%

7 Good Housekeeping $132,355 4,517,713 -2.7%

8 McCall's $95,880 4,239,622 -0.4%

9 The Cable Guide $61,090 4,169,103 -18.5%

10 Time $169,000 4,124,451 -0.6%

13 Sports Illustrated $162,000 3,269,917 -0.3%

14 Newsweek $154,750 3,227,729 -1.5%

15 Prevention $59,250 3,152,814 -3.0%

16 Playboy $96,210 3,151,495 -0.7%

17 Redbook $72,215 2,854,448 0.9%

18 The American Legion Magazine $31,060 2,691,252 -2.3%

19 Cosmopolitan $99,550 2,581,985 2.2%

20 Via Magazine $19,300 2,489,605 N/A

21 Southern Living $60,730 2,470,202 -0.9%

22 Seventeen $43,740 2,437,194 -1.4%

23 Martha Stewart Living $97,900 2,235,723 -3.5%

24 Glamour $88,483 2,208,926 6.9%

25 National Enquirer $24,327 2,206,747 -18.8%

177 Runner's World $24,730 492,881 7.6%