To: Dr. Tonantzin Oseguera, Ed.D.

From: Jessica Orozco Subject: Recommendation of Magazine Subscription Date: December 11, 2013 The purpose of this memo is to recommend a yearly subscription to a magazine for the Office of Student Life waiting room. Summary I have researched and analyzed the following magazines: The Atlantic, TIME, and National Geographic so that I could recommend one for Dr. Osegueras waiting room. My criteria included popularity ranking from the Alliance for Audited Media, pricing of yearly subscription, article length preference to 3 pages or less, and amount of advertisements being less then 15%. I came to the conclusion that National Geographic best fit my criteria for the Deans waiting room. My discussion about each magazine is detailed below. Discussion The first magazine I reviewed was The Atlantic, which provided different articles on genres such as politics, health, and entertainment. The trending current events covered in The Atlantic, address the needs of a wide ranged audience. However, even though the magazine suits a broad spectrum of readers, it was not ranked in the Top 25 U.S. consumer magazines in June 2013 (Lulofs, 2013). In the April 2012 issue, The Atlantic contained 32% of advertisements, which was double the expected percentage of my criteria. Also in the issue, a 12-page article was featured about Google, which exceeded the length preference. The yearly subscription is offered at a higher rate of $24.50 for 10 issues (The Atlantic 2013). Overall, The Atlantic would not be the best choice for the Office of Student Affairs. Secondly, I reviewed TIME, which was very informative and ranked 12th on the Top 25 U.S consumer magazines in June 2013 (Lulofs 2013). The average reader age for TIME is 44 years old (Lulofs 2013), while the average age of enrolled students at Cal State Fullerton is 24 years old (For the Media). The articles in TIME were also lengthy, e.g. an 8 page spread on Britains prime minister in the June 2013 issue; extra time may be required to finish reading an article of this length. TIME contained 23% of advertisements featured between every other page in the June 2013 issue, which may distract the reader from an article. Furthermore, the cost of a subscription for the magazine is $30 per year with 52 weekly issues (TIME 2013). TIME also would not be the best choice overall for the Office of Student Affairs. Lastly, I reviewed National Geographic, which did not contain an overwhelming amount of advertisements; there were only 14% of advertisements in the April 2012 issue. The placement

of advertisements were all located in the first six pages of the magazine, allowing the reader to skip this section if preferred. National Geographic also contains a good balance of pictures and articles, which provides the reader with sufficient visuals on topics being addressed. With National Geographic ranking in at 6th in terms of subscribers, a yearly subscription of 12 issues only costing $15 (National Geographic 2013), and having met all criteria, National geographic would be the best choice for the Office of Student Affairs. While National Geographic does not focus on current U.S. events, I believe that it is still the best choice because present-day events are more accessible through televised news segments, newspaper and online articles, including a variety of social media outlets. Unlike easily accessed current events, the information that National Geographic provides is interesting and refreshing to the reader. Many people are intrigued with different countries and their cultures, so this magazine allows the reader to learn about worldwide information while providing visual aids to enhance each article. Criteria TIME National Geographic The Atlantic Demographics 2 1 3 Ad placement 3 1 2 Publication Frequency 1 2 3 Popularity 2 1 3 Annual Subscription 3 1 2 Cover 2 1 3 Pictures 2 1 3 Article Length 2 1 3 Mode 2 1 3 Key: 1=Very good, 2=Good, 3=Average

Conclusion Given the above information, I recommend National Geographic for the Dean of Students Office. National Geographic meets my four criteria of having less than 15% of advertisements, featuring articles concisely with great information on important worldwide topics, ranking as one of the most subscribed to magazines, and having a cheaper yearly subscription price overall. In conclusion, the best magazine for Dr. Osegueras office waiting room is National Geographic.

References The Atlantic. (2013). Try 2 free issues. The Atlantic. https://ssl.palmcoastd.com/23301/apps/164286?iKey=I**A2C Lulofs, Neil. (2013). The top 25 U.S. consumer magazines for June 2013. Alliance for Audited Media: The New Audit Bureau of Circulations. http://www.auditedmedia.com/news/blog/2013/august/the-top-25-us-consumermagazines-for-june-2013.aspx National Geographic. (2013). National geographic magazine subscriptions. National Geographic. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazines/lp/20121024/nav-rdpg/ TIME. (2013). Subscribe to time with all access. TIME. https://subscription.time.com/storefront/subscribe-to-time/site/td4optmv60713.html?fpa_subch=null&fpa_crid=23232663734&fpa_siteName=cm.tim&fp a_dartType=tout&link=1004495&fpa_adid=76296734&fpa_ch=home&fpa_dartPositio n=homepage For the Media. (n.d.). CSUF News. Retrieved December 11, 2013, from http://news.fullerton.edu/formedia.aspx