webodec3ARCHIVEPreview
Open in TheBrain

Reader's Digest

nancy mcl on JB:

Mont Pel hayek fret since 30' on appeal of social democ; 3 publ reject road to serf, but Reader's digest liked: market creates "spontaneous order" w/o gov't. frenemy of keynes; mt pel mtgs closed (some pal jrnl)

elying on a chart from USA Today and a Reader's Digest article on weird things the government spends money on, Elon Musk's analysis can only be intended to distract.

Either corporations can pay their fair share, or we can start cutting the military budget. Analysts are pointing out that Musk's tweeted-out plan can not work; there isn't enough for the government to cut. Most of the items he's pointing at, like a Superbowl ad for the census save money elsewhere, but there is no effort to get to any sort of understanding — just a mad rush to vomit out fables his mad troll base to repeat.

DOGE, the incoming Trump administration advisory panel headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, has been posting on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, about the federal government's spending. The posts have featured a mix of facts and figures, including those drawn from a USA Facts chart and a Reader's Digest article on "11 Bizarre Things the U.S. Government Actually Spent Money On."

Washington Post

IFrame Content

Get ready to see ourNational Parks sold off. When they Musk talks about getting used to living with less, maybe they mean less Medicare and food.

The remainder of the budget, wrote Kessler, is everything else: Medicaid, food aid, grants to states for various partnerships and projects, scientific research, critical agencies like the National Weather Service, and the list goes on. For DOGE to meet its promise of balancing the budget absent new tax increases — and Trump has pledged to cut taxes on top of all this — pretty much the entire rest of the federal government that isn't defense and retirement programs would have to be eliminated.

DOGE has put forward a number of examples of government spending it considers to be wasteful, Kessler continued, but aside from the cost of these programs being negligible, many of them are more useful than Musk is making them sound.

For instance, DOGE criticized a $2.5 million Super Bowl ad for the Census — but in fact, Kessler noted, "for every 1 percent increase in mail-in responses [the Census Bureau] received, it would save $85 million sending workers door-to-door to collect information. So what appears to be a waste of money was intended to reduce spending over time."

RawStory

wiki

Reader's Digest is an American general-interest family magazine, published monthly (except for between 2010 and 2012 when the American edition was published ten times a year).[2] Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it now has its headquarters in New York City. The magazine was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace. For many years, Reader's Digest was the best-selling consumer magazine in the United States, losing the distinction in 2009 to Better Homes and Gardens. According to Mediamark Research, it reaches more readers with household incomes of $100,000+ than Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Inc.combined.[3]

Global editions of Reader's Digest reach an additional 40 million people in more than 70 countries, with 49 editions in 21 languages. It is believed that the printing system MEPS was used to achieve this multi language translation. It has a global circulation of 10.5 million, making it the largest paid circulation magazine in the world. It is also published in Braille, digital, audio, and a version in large type called Reader's Digest Large Print. The magazine is compact, with its pages roughly half the size of most American magazines'. Hence, in the summer of 2005, the U.S. edition adopted the slogan: "America in your pocket." In January 2008, it was changed to: "Life well shared."

Contents

  [hide] 

History:{:(style="margin-right:0px;color:#555555;;margin-left:0px"):}:[edit:{]}:

Inception and growth:{:(style="margin-right:0px;color:#555555;;margin-left:0px"):}:[edit:{]}:

The magazine was started by DeWitt Wallace, while he was recovering from shrapnel wounds received in World War I. Wallace had the idea to gather a sampling of favorite articles on many subjects from various monthly magazines, sometimes condensing and rewriting them, and to combine them into one magazine.[4]

Since its inception, Reader's Digest has maintained a conservative[5] and anti-Communist perspective on political and social issues.[6] The Wallaces initially hoped the journal could provide $5,000 of net income. Mr. Wallace’s continuing correct assessment of what the potential mass-market audience wanted to read led to rapid growth. By 1929, the magazine had 290,000 subscribers and had a gross income of $900,000 a year. The first international edition was published in the United Kingdom in 1938 and was sold at 2 shillings. By the 40th anniversary of Reader’s Digest, there were 40 international editions, in 13 languages and Braille, and it was the largest-circulating journal in Canada, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Peru and other countries, with a total international circulation of 23 million.[4]

The magazine's format for several decades consisted of 30 articles per issue (one per day), along with a vocabulary page, a page of "Amazing Anecdotes" and "Personal Glimpses", two features of funny stories entitled "Humor in Uniform" and "Life in these United States", and a lengthier article at the end, usually condensed from a published book. These were all listed in the Table of Contents on the front cover. Each article was prefaced by a small, simple line drawing. In recent years, however, the format has greatly evolved into flashy, colorful eye-catching graphics throughout, and many short bits of data interspersed with full articles. The Table of Contents is now contained inside. From 2003 to 2007, the back cover featured "Our America," paintings of Rockwell-style whimsical situations by artist C. F. Payne.

The first "Word Power" column of the magazine was published in the January 1945 edition.[7] The author's name, Wilfred J. Funk, was disclosed in the February 1945 issue.[8] In December 1952 the magazine published "Cancer by the Carton", a series of articles that linked smoking with lung cancer.[9] This first brought the dangers of smoking to public attention which, up to then, had ignored the health threats.

From 2002 through 2006, Reader's Digest conducted a vocabulary competition in schools throughout the United States called Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge (NWPC). In 2007, the magazine said it had decided not to have the competition for the 2007–08 school year, "but rather to use the time to evaluate the program in every respect, including scope, mission, and model for implementation."[10]

In 2006, the magazine published three more local-language editions in Slovenia, Croatia and Romania. In October 2007, the Digest expanded in Serbia. The magazine's licensee in Italy stopped publishing in December 2007. The magazine launched in The People's Republic of China in 2008.

For 2010, the U.S. edition of the magazine planned to decrease its circulation to 5.5 million, from 8 million, to publish 10 times a year rather than 12, and to increase digital offerings. It also planned to reduce its number of celebrity profiles and how-to features, and increase the number of inspiring spiritual stories and stories about the military.[11] It has been increased back to 12 times a year from 2013.[2] The regular features include the cartoon series Reynolds Unwrapped by Dan Reynolds.

Business organization and ownership:{:(style="margin-right:0px;color:#555555;;margin-left:0px"):}:[edit:{]}:

The magazine's parent company, The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (RDA), became a publicly traded corporation in 1990. As of 2010 RDA has reported a net loss each year since 2005.[12] In March 2007,Ripplewood Holdings LLC led a consortium of private equity investors who bought the company through a leveraged buy-out for US$2.8 billion, financed primarily by the issuance of US$2.2 billion of debt.[4][4][11]Ripplewood invested $275 million of its own money, and had partners including Rothschild Bank of Zurich and GoldenTree Asset Management of New York. The private equity deal tripled the association's interest payments, to $148 million a year.[4]

On August 24, 2009 RDA announced it had filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy court a pre-arranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy, in order to continue operations, and to restructure the $2.2 billion debt undertaken by the leveraged buy-out transaction.[4][13][14] The company emerged from bankruptcy with the lenders exchanging debt for equity, and Ripplewood's entire equity investment was extinguished.[4]

In April 2010, the UK arm was sold to its management. It has a licensing deal with the US company to continue publishing the UK edition.[15]

In 2010, the US the company cut the number of issues it published a year from 12 to 10. It also cut its circulation guarantee for advertisers to 5.5 million copies from 8 million. However it returned to monthly editions beginning in January 2013.

RDA Holding filed for bankruptcy for a second time on February 17, 2013.[16]

Sweepstakes agreement:{:(style="margin-right:0px;color:#555555;;margin-left:0px"):}:[edit:{]}:

In 2001, 32 states attorneys general reached agreements with the company and other sweepstakes operators to settle allegations that they tricked the elderly into buying products because they were a "guaranteed winner" of a lottery. The settlement required the companies to expand the type size of notices in the packaging that no purchase is necessary to play the sweepstakes, and to:

  1. Establish a "Do Not Contact List" and refrain from soliciting any future "high-activity" customers unless and until Reader's Digest actually makes contact with that customer and determines that the customer is not buying because he or she thinks that the purchase will improve his or her chances of winning.
  2. Send letters to individuals who spend more than $1,000 in a six-month period telling them that they are not required to make purchases to win the sweepstakes, that making a purchase will not improve their chances of winning and that all entries have the same chance to win whether or not the entry is accompanied by a purchase.[17][18][19]

The agreement appeared to adversely affect Reader's Digest circulation in the U.S.[clarification needed] Its 1970s peak circulation was 17 million U.S. subscribers.[4]

Direct marketing:{:(style="margin-right:0px;color:#555555;;margin-left:0px"):}:[edit:{]}:

RDA offers many mail-order products included with "sweepstakes" or contests. U.S. Reader's Digest and the company's other U.S. magazines do not use sweepstakes in their direct mail promotions. A notable shift to electronic direct marketing has been undertaken by the company to adapt to shifting media landscape.[20]

Criticism:{:(style="margin-right:0px;color:#555555;;margin-left:0px"):}:[edit:{]}:

Reader's Digest in the UK has been criticised by the Trading Standards Institute for preying on the elderly and vulnerable with misleading bulk mailings that claim the recipient is guaranteed a large cash prize and advising them not to discuss this with anyone else. Following their complaint, the Advertising Standards Authority said they would be launching an investigation.[21] The ASA investigation upheld the complaint in 2008, ruling that the Reader's Digest mailing was irresponsible, misleading (particularly for the elderly) and had breached three clauses of the Committee of Advertising Practice code.[22] Reader's Digest was told not to use this mailing again.

==

srcwtch

The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. "is a global multi-brand media and marketing company that educates, entertains and connects audiences around the world. We are dedicated to providing our customers with the inspiration, ideas and tools that simplify and enrich their lives." [1]

"Grants from the Hudson Highlands Fund - established in 1983 by the founders of The Reader's Digest Association Inc. for supporting land preservation in the Hudson Valley - have been the primary source of capital for Scenic Hudson's purchase and stewardship of more than 17,700 acres of land. This property includes 12 working farms and 28 public parks in nine Hudson Valley counties." [2]

Contents

  [hide] 

Board

Accessed May 2010: [3]

Resources and articles

Related Sourcewatch articles

References

  1. :{Jump up:(style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);overflow:hidden;position:absolute !important;padding:0px !important;border:0px !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important;-webkit-user-select:none"):}:↑ About, Readers' Digest Association, accessed May 11, 2010.
  2. :{Jump up:(style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);overflow:hidden;position:absolute !important;padding:0px !important;border:0px !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important;-webkit-user-select:none"):}:↑ Transfer of Wallace Fund Assets to Continue Land Preservation, Scenic Hudson, accessed October 2, 2009.
  3. :{Jump up:(style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);overflow:hidden;position:absolute !important;padding:0px !important;border:0px !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important;-webkit-user-select:none"):}:↑ Directors, Readers' Digest Association, accessed May 11, 2010.

Categories: 

In January 1989 the R.J.Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) was desperately trying to salvage its 'smokeless' Premier cigarette from marketing oblivion. On behalf of RJR Matt Swetonic, then a Senior Vice President in Hill & Knowlton's New York office, set out to court Kenneth Tomlinson, the then Executive Editor of Readers Digest, in the hope of garnering favorable media coverage. (These days Tomlinson is the controversial Chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting).

For RJR the attraction of pitching the Premier story to the Readers Digest was precisely because for decades it had relentlessly highlighted the deadly impact of smoking. Favorable media coverage of Premier could not only undermine tobacco control activists arguments against cigarettes but could help reverse the relentless march to market share dominance of Philip Morris's Marlboro brand.

For well over a year Swetonic had been unsuccessfully pushing RJR for authorisation to set up a meeting with the Readers Digest. Finally in October 1988 Swetonic got the go ahead. "Approach Readers Digest (thru Swetonic) re: interest in article on full results of study," a schedule for a PR plan noted.

In mid-January 1989 Swetonic met Tomlinson at a meeting of the Cub Scouts.[!] In a briefing note to RJR, Swetonic noted that after he mentioned a September 1988 New York Times editorial on Premier, Tomlinson requested a sampling of newspaper clippings. "I felt it important that we not be perceived as trying to hide the 'negative' publicity on Premier," he wrote in a memo. While the sample clips included some that were "negative," Swetonic reported that "articles on its 'taste', 'smell' and consumer acceptance, on the other hand, did not seem to be important, considering the attributes that the Digest appeared to be most interested in."

While the New York Times editorial didn't give the Premier an unqualified endorsement, in another document Swetonic noted the potential ripple effect from its qualified endorsement. "If some publications such as the New York Times concludes that the new cigarettes provides some health or social benefit, this will influence the reporting of nearly every media outlet".

The following week Swetonic followed up on his meeting with Tomlinson in a handwritten letter. In addition to the newspaper clips Swetonic's letter mentions that he included "a carton of Premier" and the company's monograph 700-plus page monograph on the tests results.

In a later memo Swetonic noted that one of the few bright spots in their campaign to promot the Premier brand was when they got out to do outreach work to editorial boards. "While there has been considerable reluctance on the part of many science writers we talked to to do positive stories on Premier, we did receive a reasonable friendly hearing at the Readers Digest ...," Swetonic noted.

But before Swetonic's courting of Tomlinson and Readers Digest could bear fruit, RJR abruptly ended the Premier trial. In May 1992 Swetonic compiled a eight-page memo history reviewing the frustrations Hill & Knowlton had experienced in trying to promote the Premier cigarette since it took over the account from Burson-Marsteller in August 1987.

In his memo an anguished Swetonic, who by then had moved on to work for E. Bruce Harrison Company, recounted the frustrations he encountered trying to boost the floundering product. Swetonic lamented "there are some who believe that Premier could still have been saved at the 11th hour if a positive Readers Digest story had appeared in time. The issue is moot of course, since the Digest killed the article when the product was pulled. Who knows?"

Who knows indeed. While there is nothing in the internal industry documents indicating what the Readers Digest coverage may have been - beyond having had a "friendly hearing" and Swetonic's optimism - it is unlikely that it alone would have rescued RJR's dying cigarette.

In early 1991 Swetonic moved on to work for the E. Bruce Harrison Company and, from July 1 that year, the RJR account followed him. (He later went on to become a principal in the New York office of The Dilenschneider Group).

But as so often happens, the intersections between the worlds of conservative editors, PR companies and the tobacco industry reverberates years later. Last Friday, Patricia Harrison, the co-founder of the E. Bruce Harrison Company was appointed as President and Chief Execeutive Officer of the Corporation for Public Brodacasting. Over the last month it was Tomlinson, now Chairman of the CPB, who championed Harrison's candidacy.

Documenting and uncovering public relations campaigns is an ongoing research project that you can help with! Become a SourceWatch volunteer contributor and help develop our articles on Kenneth Tomlinson, Patricia Harrison, E. Bruce Harrison Company and the tobacco industry.

- See more at: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2005/06/3789/rjr-hoped-tomlinson-and-readers-digest-could-rescue-its-dying-cigarette#sthash.Xw3BOSF5.dpuf

==