attitude -

• when was attitude started?

  -began publication in 1994 as part of the Northern & Shell group
• what made darren styles a contender for attitude's buy out?

  -pre-existing relationship; prior to buying the magazine, the he worked with Northern & Shell to launch the successful Attitude Awards in 2012
• when did stream publishing acquire attitude?

  -september 2016
• what did editor-in-chief Cliff Jouannou announce in his 2018 editorial?


  arevampof the branddeveloping its online presencefurther (esp with Winq magazine being merged into Attitude)-> print version of the magazine announces it will have more pages on glossier paper stock, and a conscious shift towards more representation of other groups within the LGBTQ+ community (not just gay men)
• how many electronic copies are sold a month?

  11,000
• is the online edition convergent?

  -yes; available via dedicated app for all major devices

  -> also available on other key platforms such as kindle - maximises audiences
• average traffic of website a month?

  average traffic of 1.8m regular users a month
• how does the website establish a more global brand & appeal to wider spectrums of LGBTQ identities?

  -its content is sourced from 1. countries around the world, & stories from 2. other members of LGBTQ identities are platformed

  
  

  -> 1. 'Thailand passing same-sex marriage bill'

  -> 2. news about Brianna Ghey
• significance of focus on celebs/stars?

  -attitude known for its ability to attract mainstream stars for exclusive interviews

  -> eg. royalty, former Prime Ministers as well as high-profile celebrities (David Beckham, Sam Smith etc.)

  -> consolidates the power of the brand, and

  reciprocally gives an opportunity for these stars to (virtue) signal themselves as allies of LGBTQ+ communities
• how does attitude draw most of its revenue?

  AD REVENUE:

  
  

  -mag offers a range of opportunities to advertisers, including banner and sidebar adverts, ability to sponsor an entire section of the website or even take over a full page

  
  

  -> Sponsored posts in the form of

  advertorials are also featured on the site and, although clearly labelled as such, are integrated into the layout looking exactly the same in

  appearance as genuine articles

  
  

  -also runs regular competitions that are

  promotional tie-ins with partner brands
• what is churnalism?


  -a form of journalism in which press releases, stories provided by news agencies, and other forms of pre-packaged material, instead of reported news, are used to create articles in newspapers and other news media

  -> reduces the costs of original news-gathering

  
  

  --> seen in sex education article (about Asa Butterfield) which was just based off of a BBC sounds interview
• why does attitude use 'churnalism'?

  -maintains continual high traffic to the website

  -> fulfils the need for the consumer to have a reason to regularly return to the website, but can be criticised for its often-low journalistic standard, arguably undermining the sites

  own policy on journalistic integrity

  --> financial pressures motivate the use of

  churnalism (CURRAN AND SEATON)
• facts about stream publishing

  - a smaller, independent contract publishing company

  -Managing Director Darren styles (himself gay) sees the acquisition of Attitude as not just financially, but ideologically important

  -under the control of a smaller, vertically integrated company, arguably able to remain creatively free & take more risks than might be typical of a larger conglomerate-owned brand (C&S, HH)
• social media & attitude?


  -has accounts across the most popular social

  media platforms, including; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

  -> post regularly and always include

  a link directing traffic back to the website to ensure its continual viability in terms of advertising revenue

  -> often feature posts about LGBTQ+ issues in a range of countries, helping to position them as a globally present brand

  -> goes to significant lengths to appear responsible on social media but also allows

  advertisers to advertise via their social media feeds, exploiting a further source of revenue
• C&S - attitude as a global brand


  -the development of the website as a means of establishing Attitude as an international brand is indicative of sound business sense

  -> has been a logical step in expanding to new audiences within LGBTQ+ communities worldwide

  -> This 'global' approach consolidates its 'power' as a mature brand that deals with serious issues relevant to marginalised LGBTQ+ groups
• C&S - attitude being 'global' online & in print

  -globalisation -> tech. -> more ppl access their website internationally etc.

  
  

  -mag created opportunities to produce (or offer licences to produce) international editions of the print magazine, thus increasing print sales and circulation
• clickbait?

  - like Zoella, many articles on the website feature 'clickbait' titles in order to ensure large audiences that can maximize advertising revenue

  
  

  -> eg. "Drag Race's Maddy Morphosis & Bob the Drag Queen feud after corny comment"
• how does attitude get more opps in advertising deals & synergetic partnerships?

  -as a contract publisher Stream enjoys long-established relationships with big name brands (Spar, Vauxhall, P&O, etc.).

  -> offers big opps where many of these brands may be keen to become associated with a specialist publication, such as Attitude, in

  order to demonstrate their 'Diversity credentials' in a society that now demonstrates an ideological commitment towards equality for all

  
  

  - advertising with this brand (both in print and online) offers opps for these brands to reach new audiences for their products in marginalised groups
• ownership of attitude affecting content?

  Attitude used to be owned by a large media conglomerate and is now owned by a mid-sized 'independent' publisher

  -> can be argued that Attitude now has more creative freedom according to Curran & Seaton's theory

  
  

  X However, it can also be argued that as the brand has grown Stream has begun to adopt the traditional business practices of larger media conglomerates more and more
• HH - vertical integration & attitude


  -mag bought by an established and successful publishing company that had already

  successfully vertically integrated the different stages of production (bar print distribution)

  
  

  -> provided a ready-made infrastructure for taking over bi-monthly publication

  
  

  -> the company is in sole control of the Attitude

  website &, in terms of distribution, is in control of the e-edition of the magazine through its development of the Attitude app
• HH - horizontal integration & attitude

  -after A was purchased, the decision was made to merge it with the licenced English language version of Winq

  -> integrated the talent, creativity & specialist knowledge that had been developed across Winq's (english) magazine's lifespan into A; as well as hoping to bring over Winq's audiences to the much longer-established and more well-known magazine (A)

  
  

  -> audiences might be maximised and the

  threat of a rival publication neutralised, minimising risk
• HH - diversification

  -limited; Stream has only really diversified into an

  online version of Attitude and has not explored other media forms to date

  -> reflective of their size as a company, with full diversification into a range of other media being too risky at their current rate of growth

  
  

  X diversification has helped in reducing potential risks

  
  

  X-> the online version of the brand offers more choice & reflects changing nature of media consumption (more content, wider reach)

  
  

  X-> establishing a global presence has

  also brought new audiences to the brand &, by extension, provided opportunities for the development of intl print editions and further support for the original magazine (no need to diversify)
• does attitude still prioritise its main audience (gay men)?

  -yes; most articles on website centred around gay men

  -> minimises risk; mag knows their primary audience and appeal to them as much as possible
• who regulates Attitude?

  -like Zoella, Attitude's sponsored promotional and advertising sales activities are subject to regulation under the ASA's code of practice

  
  

  X However, once again, the online brand is not governed by any other 'official' forms of regulation
• what is in Attitude's code of conduct?

  -it identifies the standards the

  brand is committed to holding itself to in terms of journalistic accuracy, ethics and sponsorship and advertising transparency

  
  

  ->Being more 'pro-active' than 'reactive'; this greatly contrasts the approach seemingly taken by Zoella

  
  

  -> again, however, the brand is left to 'self-regulate' and the established arguments about inherent self-bias in such an activity still remain

  
  

  -similarly, the brand is still only subject to the rules contained in the individual terms and conditions of the various media platforms it also uses, eg. Instagram & Twitter
• how do the ideological perspectives of Attitude affect its regulatory practices?

  -as a brand that sees itself as the champion of marginalised groups who have been demonised by the mainstream media (eg. gay men being equated to paedophiles) it usually goes further in the regulation of its content than other producers might

  
  

  -it ensures that any mature content is suitably censored on its social media feeds,

  over which it does not have full control

  
  

  -> esp. the ability to share posts from its website being limited so that articles might not be used as a means of framing attacks on LGBTQ+ communities

  -> comments sections are heavily policed (in

  some cases turned off) to protect audiences from being subjected to possible online abuse

  ->struggle between citizen and consumer (L&L)
• changing audience in recent years?

  -print publication remains very much centred on issues and lifestyle content relating to gay men (maintaining the original core audience)

  
  

  X in recent times there has been more rep. given to other areas of the LGBTQ+ community

  
  

  ->eg. in 2020 when the magazine featured its first Asexual and Intersex cover stars

  --> gradual shift towards becoming more in line with audience reach of website
• examples of website appealing to other LGBTQ members?


  -"the monocle: touring dance show based on Parisian lesbian club"

  
  

  -"LGBTQ stars who came out in 2023"

  
  

  -"Billie Eilish blasts questions about sexuality as she confirms: 'I like boys and girls' "
• ABC1 audience?

  -both the magazine and the website assume that audiences enjoy a certain standard of education/political engagement & financial security in many of the representations they construct

  -> eg Whoopi Goldberg discussing dangers of Trump re-election, as she fears 'gay folks' will 'disappear
• diverse range of content meaning in terms of audiences?


  -lots of diff. demographics/psychographics

  
  

  -> esp. for entertainment: many features about Drag Race which is a show enjoyed by many, not just gay men, (mainstreamers etc.)
• what effect does its target audience have on its rep?

  -primarily gay, male audience means that reps of men are fairly typical ('Dan Benson says he's straight but "specifically" makes content for gay men')

  
  

  -> presented as strong & fit (eg. Johnathan Bailey swimwear modelling, dynamic rep etc.)

  
  

  -> successful, wealthy men are often selected/ written about (Andrew Scott, Sir Chris Bryant)
• rep. of men being emotionally vulnerable?

  -'Andrew Scott feels emancipated as a gay man'

  -'Strictly's Dr Ranj Singh: "Coming out as gay to my wife was hard, but telling my family was another level"'

  -"Gok Wan hits back after suffering homophobic abuse'

  
  

  -> men being emotional in media texts subverts stereotypes (VAN ZOONEN - men presented as efficient, rational and individual)
• rep of men as victims?

  -Gok Wan article where he discusses being a 'victim of a homophobic hate crime' presents men in an unconventional manner

  
  

  ->challenges dominant ideologies of gender, but would be identifiable for gay men who may have experienced similar abuse
• rep of masculinity? (BUTLER)


  -some reps. of 'typical' masculinity (Johnathan Bailey, Matthew Camp 'OnlyFans star')

  -> men tied to sports, reinforces masculinity again (eg Tom Daley)

  
  

  -HOWEVER also diverse reps of men that aren't typically masculine

  -> lots of drag queens (particularly from Ru Paul's drag race)

  ->'Real Bodies' articles rep. men with more 'natural' bodies that haven't been photoshopped etc.

  --> is this alienating? or genuine representation?

  —> article also references one of the models who says he isn't into 'bigger men' -> counterproductive?

  
  

  -> also, fabio crispim article on website criticises 'manly' photo shop app - 'we've seen an increasing number of men desperately trying to live up to the male beauty ideal we constantly see across the media'

  —> pos that they're criticising it (bringing attention to the falsity of body expectations) but arguably, attitude do the thing the article is criticising
• has attitude really made a change in representing other members of the LGBTQ community?

  -arguably not; still majorly left out & attitude still prioritising its gay male audience

  -> mainly articles about gay men, even articles about same-sex marriage are very often headed by images of gay men (eg. 'SS marriage nearing in greece', 'over 60% Americans support SS marriage') despite being applicable for lesbian relationships too

  
  

  X there are some articles that show a change

  -> '9 out and proud bisexual + stars'

  -> 'England's first trans finalist chino gomes
• advantages to attitude mainly focusing on gay men?

  -rep of gay men in a regular, positive way fills a niche gap in the market (wearing pride make-up, big stars starring in gay roles)

  
  

  -> usually under/misrepresented in other media products
• rep. of ethnicity?

  -people of minority ethnic background are often featured on the site, eg. Ncuti Gatwa, Monet X Change, Roberto Tovar)

  -> arguably not represented as much as white celebrities

  
  

  X many stories abt other cultures and countries are quite negative & seen as places to avoid/that are discriminatory

  -> eg. 'Indonesia : more than 50 detained after police raid on gay party'

  --> Attitude arguable creating a post-colonialist view of the world; non-western cultures shown as 'backwards', violent, aggressive etc. (GILROY) through somewhat xenophobic tone which contrasts how western countries are spoken about 'France's first out gay PM: "mindsets are evolving" '

  
  

  ---> could also be insensitive to queer ppl from these countries
• effect of most of attitude's staff being LGBTQ?

  -subverts HEGEMONIC perspectives & therefore creates more positive, sympathetic representation

  -> mostly male, (Cliff Joannou, Tim Heap, Darren Styles etc) -> explains predominant rep of gay men
• effect of featuring popular stars?

  -more positive rep. for queer people, heightened by either:

  
  

  -> non-queer stars showing support for queer relationships (eg. Asa Butterfield says it's 'insane' that people are still opposing LGBTQ-inclusive lessons in schools)

  
  

  -> queer stars celebrating their identities (eg. Andrew Scott feels emancipated as a gay man)
• rep. and political stance?

  -in representing queer people positively & sympathetically, attitude present a left leaning stance

  
  

  -> sometimes even critique government directly: 'Attitude editor Cliff Joannou pens open letter to PM Rishi Sunak over trans joke made in front of Brianna Ghey's mum