Proliferation of Magazines
Like newspapers, Taiwan's magazine industry has also experienced
dramatic change and growth, and the heated competition in the magazine
industry has led to the demise of many long-established magazines and
to the emergence of a diverse variety of new magazines. The number of
magazines has grown from about 3,400 in 1988 to nearly 5,700 today.
These publishers promote their sales through advertisements, direct
marketing, telemarketing, discounts, giveaways, and drawings for
prizes.
The most popular magazines are devoted to business--over 20 percent
of the total. Not surprisingly, magazines covering politics and current
events also enjoy great popularity. There has been a greater demand for
specialized periodicals concerned with modern living, computers,
health, food, cars, women's lifestyle, parenting, leisure, and travel.
The ROC magazine industry, like the other print media, has been
gradually losing its readership to the TV industry and has responded by
entering into joint ventures with well-known international magazines,
publishing Chinese editions of Esquire, Living, Marie Claire, Net, etc.
Many magazines have also established Internet Web sites to provide
readers with a selection of articles from each issue.
Among the most popular political magazines is The Journalist, a
weekly magazine established in 1987. Over the past decade, it has, with
its hard-hitting writing style, sculpted an image for itself as a sharp
critic of ROC political matters. With the flourishing of the ROC
computer industry and the arrival of the Internet in Taiwan, computer
science magazines have also become very popular among local readers.
English-language periodicals and magazines, which juxtapose
Chinese and English texts, are an entertaining way for Taiwan readers
to learn a foreign language. Currently, about ten such periodicals are
published in Taiwan. One of the most popular is also available on
CD-ROM, with half of its readers being college students.
Lately, new trends have emerged in Taiwan magazine publishing:
globalized operations, international joint ventures, computerization,
and special-interest magazines. Increased incomes and levels of
education of ROC citizens portend an exciting future for the
magazine-publishing industry.
GIO HOME
Back | TOP | Next
Main Menu
