13-30 corporation : a case study in innovative magazine publishing

The purpose of this study was to determine how and why 13-30 Corporation, a Knoxville, Tennessee-based magazine publishing and marketing company, came into being and to determine its role in American magazine publishing. The company's history, growth, and development, with particular emphasis on the role of marketing and the use of controlled-circulation distribution, was investigated.

The thesis, based primarily on interviews with 13-30 personnel, studied 13-30's success in specialized magazine publishing, its concentration on marketing, and the unique qualities that have made 13-30 Corporation one of the leaders in specialized magazine publishing.

The study revealed that 13-30's founders' knowledge of the college market and the founders' ability to reach the college market through printed media, coupled with the receptiveness of the college market in the early 1970s to 13-30's publications, contributed to the company's early success. It was determined that the development of the print special, a form of contract publishing with an exclusive advertiser, and 13-30's partnership with Bonnier Magazine Group of Sweden contributed to 13-30's financial success and property growth in the 1970s.

The purchase of Esquire magazine by 13-30 in 1979 and 13-30's association with Associated Newspaper Group of London was found to have further influenced 13-30's growth and position within the magazine publishing industry.

Today, 13-30 is the nation's largest magazine publishing company to the college market. Combined with Esquire, 13-30's revenue exceeds $50 million, placing the company among the top magazine publishers in America.