Kohti aikakauslehden ydintä : suomalainen aikakauslehti, lukijan tarpeet ja mediamurros

Abstract

This thesis discusses commercial Finnish magazines in the midst of media disruption. First, this research clarifies what has been the core content of printed magazines. Then this study focuses on finding out what kind of reader needs the producers of these magazines tried to satisfy. The purpose of this study is to discuss, whether the core content of magazines and the methods of satisfying the readers’ needs could be transferred to the digital media environment and in what way. The theoretical framework of this study is the notion of media concept. It allows viewing magazines as a vast whole and demonstrates a relationship between content and the audience’s needs. In addition, this study utilises the uses and gratifications theory’s view of satisfying audience's needs and the audience’s needs demonstrated by prior research. The research data consisted of 19 Finnish magazines including women's magazines, family magazines and general magazines as well as magazines geared towards men. I have also interviewed eight editors-in-chief for the research. The contents of the magazines have been studied by organising and analysing the contents. This way I have created a summary of the core content of Finnish magazines. The theme interviews of the editors-in-chief focus on their views on the readers’ needs in particular. The content analysis and the interviews were used to specify what kinds of reader needs the magazines seem to want to satisfy. According to the results of this study, Finnish commercial magazines strive to offer their readers objects with which they can identify as well as peer experiences, up-to-date information, support for various decision and, most importantly, good time with the magazine. In short, it seems that magazines give the reader an opportunity to think about how they should live and pro- vides answers to this question in an entertaining form. When the content of printed magazines is viewed from the point of view of the new digital media environment, it seems that magazines are facing tough competition from other traditional media and, most of all, from social media. In this new competitive situation, magazines have to renew their media concept, content and their idea of the readers’ needs.