Nevada Magazine marks 75 years of spreading the word

In the fall of 1935, Nevada state government leaders found themselves in a pleasant predicament:

The Depression was over in the Silver State, which had a budget surplus. Boulder Dam had been dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt that Sept. 30. Valley of Fire and other state parks just had opened. Nevada had been handed a $5 million federal road-building grant. And about everyone had access to an automobile.

What better way to publicize the wonders of Nevada and gain tourism money than to start a state magazine? On Jan. 1, 1936, the Department of Highways launched Nevada Highways and Parks, a black-and-white tablet-sized "bulletin" filled with pictures and stories about state parks, places to visit and the department's highway construction program.

On the back of many early issues were maps showing the progress of road work. U.S. Highway 95 between Las Vegas and Northern Nevada mostly was an "oiled" gravel road; the maps showed you where pavement was being placed. Best of all, if you sent a letter to the Highway Department, you would be sent a free copy of the magazine.

This year Nevada Magazine is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a series of issues devoted to Las Vegas, Indian Country, Cowboy Country and other parts of the state. A larger special anniversary edition was issued in the spring and included reprinted stories on Howard Hughes, the Beatles in Las Vegas and the "Bonanza" television program.

But times have changed since 1936. Today, Nevada Magazine is a glossy, full-color publication that costs $4.95 an issue. It also is on the Internet, even available for free on one website. And you can read about the magazine on Twitter and Facebook.

Creating an online presence is one reason that the magazine still exists, officials say. Another is that the magazine, faced with the threat of outsourcing this year by state officials trying to deal with a deep recession, has become self-funding.

Weaning itself off state dollars, though, has come at a price, one critic says. And that price is quality.

SAME MISSION FOR 75 YEARS

The product's readership is "now online," Nevada Magazine Publisher Janet Geary said.

"Magazines are really for an older demographic. Online is for younger readers," Geary said.

Still the mission of Nevada Magazine is the same one that faced Highway Department employee Frank Greulich when he put out the first issue: Sell the wonders of the state to the traveling public.

"What we are doing now is not a lot different than what they did in the 1930s," Editor Matt Brown said. "They traveled around (the state), took photos and wrote about it."

Brown also tweets 2,500 readers about the interesting places he visits and what's coming up in the magazine. He maintains the magazine's Facebook site and uploads almost all the photos he and photographers take to a Flickr website.

For most of its 75 years, Nevada Magazine, now a division of the state Commission on Tourism, has operated with help from taxpayers. The state subsidies infuriated legislators as early as the 1980s and in recent years have enraged some members of the state Tourism Commission as well.

The magazine has been a paid publication, at least its print edition, since 1964. Former state Sen. Floyd Lamb of Las Vegas frequently called in magazine staffers in the early 1980s to question why they needed state support instead of surviving on advertising and sales. Today most state government agencies have gone through round after round of budget cuts. As much as legislators like the magazine, they don't want taxpayers to subsidize it, even though a recent reader survey showed it brought in an extra $45 million in tourism revenue.

In stepped Geary. The first publisher of the magazine to come from a business and not a writing background, Geary over the last three years has reduced spending by $500,000 and now can proclaim that it no longer needs state financial support.

OUTSOURCING REJECTED

Few people realize that Nevada Magazine came close to dying as a state-written and -produced publication in recent months.

But on Wednesday the Tourism Commission rejected a proposal to turn it over to a private company. In some states private companies publish state magazines.

"After a lot of soul-searching, the decision was made not to outsource," said Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, who chairs the Tourism Commission. "We will run it more like a business than a government enterprise. It needs to stand on its own. It is a fantastic product that helps drive revenue and tourism for us."

"We cut everything we could to keep the magazine running," said Geary, who was raised in Las Vegas and learned the print business through years of selling advertising and running Northern Nevada newspapers.

The cuts included trimming staff from 13 to eight and cutting the budget to $1.2 million a year.

"Our revenue comes from selling advertising and subscriptions. We are in the black and doing very well financially," Geary said.

That is saying something at a time when many print publications around the nation are barely breathing after losing subscribers and advertisers.

Arizona Highways, widely acclaimed as one of the best state magazines, sells 140,000 copies, down from a peak of 375,000 in the early 1980s.

The bimonthly Nevada Magazine sells only 20,000 copies a month counting newsstand sales and has just 9,700 subscribers. About 40 percent of the subscribers are Nevada residents.

Geary, who earns $85,000 a year, has increased newsstand sales of the magazine by 57 percent since she became publisher. The magazine now can be found at many supermarket checkout lines. But increasing subscribers will be difficult, especially in the recessionary economy where subscriptions are one of the first things people cut, she said.

A CRITICAL VOICE

Former Publisher-Editor C.J. Hadley said she sold 65,000 copies per issue at the end of her 10 years at the helm of the magazine in 1975-85.

Now publisher of 48,000-circulation Range Magazine, which focuses on threats to the American West, Hadley is critical of what she sees in Nevada Magazine.

"What they are doing now is what every state and city magazine does: write about restaurants, where to golf, where to swim," she said. "I was trying to find the essence of Nevada, the miners and cowboys and sheepherders and horsemen."

Hadley said she operated with a staff of six and depended a lot on freelance writers and photographers, some with national reputations.

Twitter and the Internet, of course, were not around at the time, but Hadley considers Twitter a narcissistic hobby, useless for selling a state magazine.

"I don't tweet," she said. "What can you tell me about Nevada in 28 words?"

But Geary contends Nevada Magazine had no choice but to embrace the Internet and the social media to survive and not be a drain on state resources.

"It's not like the 1980s when everyone advertised," she added. "It is a totally different economy than when I lived in Las Vegas."

The magazine still emphasizes state history and unusual characters, but it had to move online to keep up with a new generation of readers.

HISTORICAL ARTICLES MOST POPULAR

A reader survey found historical articles are the most popular, Geary said, and the magazine responded with stories on gold finds and the Amargosa Opera House in its September-October edition.

She noted 7,000 copies of its special 75th anniversary edition, priced at $19.95, have been sold. Most of its stories were historical and character-based.

Nevada Magazine's website features a lot of content not found in the print product. And the entire print version of the magazine also is available for free on the Issuu.com website. Keeping the free site on the Internet, however, is subject to change, according to Larry Friedman, acting state tourism director.

Brown, 29, a former Reno Gazette-Journal writer, said he looks for stories and photos that appeal to readers of all ages. Ideas for stories often come from email tips by readers.

There have been fewer stories about people this year, but that is because the magazine has been celebrating its 75th anniversary with special issues about each part of the state. These issues have told the history of communities and promoted attractions that tourists might visit.

Brown welcomes ideas for stories. With the demand to cut costs, he no longer hires as many freelance writers. Most stories in the magazine now are written by him or Associate Editor Charlie Johnston.

In its original issue, Greulich explained the magazine would "promote a wider knowledge of (Nevada's) mountains, deserts and the real western, friendly spirit of its people."

Brown and Geary agree. The friendly spirit of Nevadans is why millions of visitors return to the state.

It's hard times, but Geary sees a brighter future now that the magazine survives without state subsidies. She sees tourism growing and has no doubt Nevada Magazine will be around in another 75 years.

"As long as tourists come here, we will be here, too."

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.