TV Guide Unveils Full-Color, Larger Format

Tue Oct 11,10:17 PM ET

NEW YORK - TV Guide released its first issue in a full-color, larger format Tuesday, part of an overall revamp aimed at trying to keep the 52-year-old magazine relevant in an age of on-screen television guides.

The new issue features Ty Pennington of "Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition" on its cover, as well as a new makeup that emphasizes stories, columns and gossip about TV shows over TV listings.

As part of the makeover, TV Guide's publisher, Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc., is also slashing the circulation it guarantees advertisers by nearly two-thirds, from 9 million to 3.2 million.

The magazine will maintain its weekly publication schedule, but its cover price will drop to $1.99 from $2.49 for the famliar digest-size format. Until the end of the year, though, the price wil be reduced to 99 cents.

TV Guide announced the changes to its format in July.

Yahoo! News/AP-October 11, 2005


The magazine is going to suck now!

:mad: :mad: :mad: ohno: ohno: ohno:

I've read it for over 35 years and the best part is the listings.

What are your thoughts of the new, oversized format?

Ugly, ugly, ugly.

TV Guide Unveils Full-Color, Larger Format

Tue Oct 11,10:17 PM ET

NEW YORK - TV Guide released its first issue in a full-color, larger format Tuesday, part of an overall revamp aimed at trying to keep the 52-year-old magazine relevant in an age of on-screen television guides.

The new issue features Ty Pennington of "Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition" on its cover, as well as a new makeup that emphasizes stories, columns and gossip about TV shows over TV listings.

As part of the makeover, TV Guide's publisher, Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc., is also slashing the circulation it guarantees advertisers by nearly two-thirds, from 9 million to 3.2 million.

The magazine will maintain its weekly publication schedule, but its cover price will drop to $1.99 from $2.49 for the famliar digest-size format. Until the end of the year, though, the price wil be reduced to 99 cents.

TV Guide announced the changes to its format in July.

Yahoo! News/AP-October 11, 2005


The magazine is going to suck now!

:mad: :mad: :mad: ohno: ohno: ohno:

I've read it for over 35 years and the best part is the listings.

What are your thoughts of the new, oversized format?

I haven't got it yet but I'm not to happy about the change in format. I agree that the listings are one of the most important things about the magazine. Thats been getting worst the last few years.

The print version of TV Guide ceased being relevant almost ten years ago. This latest attempt to refocus the point of the magazine is doing nothing but further dragging the once-proud TV Guide name through the mud.

At this point, an ending of the magazine would be a mercy killing where I sit.

I was at the Hess station over the weekend that I saw the last of the TV Guide's in a smaller size format. It's very sad to see the smaller size TV Guide go. I missed TV Guide when the magazine was small. I used to have it all the time. I'm not too familiar with the new larger size version. After 53 years of publishing the first TV Guide in smaller size, it's time to say bye! bye! TV Guide, hello to the the NEW TV Guide.

I haven't got it yet but I'm not to happy about the change in format. I agree that the listings are one of the most important things about the magazine. Thats been getting worst the last few years.

Now, they no longer have local listings at all, just national listings for NBC, FOX, ABC and all the national networks. I won't renew my subscription.

Now, they no longer have local listings at all, just national listings for NBC, FOX, ABC and all the national networks. I won't renew my subscription.


You got to me kidding me. :mad: I still haven't got it yet. I've been collecting them since 1983 and thats the only reason I continue to do it but I honestly don't know if its worth it. TV Guide is probably dead anyhow.

In 1991 they did a large format for about a year or so, I still have those magazines.

I lover the new bigger version of the TV guide

After perusing the first issue of the new TV Guide, I e-mailed them the following letter:

Over the years, I've seen TV Guide go from being a
publication with excellent journalism that covered
both TV personalities and the industry with incisive
articles that had depth to an all-purpose
entertainment magazine with gossipy writing.

Even in the face of this, your TV listings were the
magazine's saving grace: Detailed 24/7 local, network
& cable listings. However, with the debut of the
magazine-sized TV Guide, sadly, even that is no
longer.

No more local listings, no 24/7 listings and the TV
coverage is reduced to grids that only cover networks
& cable stations, not local stations and only certain
time periods. This is a shame.

This new format may increase your circulation with
it's bigger size and more room for flashy graphics and
celebrity photos, but it reduces TV Guide to merely
being an entertainment magazine that gives only a
cursory look at the week's viewing.

I meant to add - but didn't - that now the TV supplement that comes with my Sunday paper is now more informative than TV Guide when it comes to local listings. I will not be renewing my subscription next year. In fact, I may seek out vintage TV Guide issues on eBay - so I can read the real TV Guide.:D

At this point, an ending of the magazine would be a mercy killing where I sit.
I say let those who listed Hogan's Heroes (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=71) as the fifth worst TV show of all-time suffer a long and painful death!

I say let those who listed Hogan's Heroes (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=71) as the fifth worst TV show of all-time suffer a long and painful death!


Well it wasn;t like they were lying-lol

Over the years, I've seen TV Guide go from being a
publication with excellent journalism that covered
both TV personalities and the industry with incisive
articles that had depth to an all-purpose
entertainment magazine with gossipy writing.

Even in the face of this, your TV listings were the
magazine's saving grace: Detailed 24/7 local, network
& cable listings. However, with the debut of the
magazine-sized TV Guide, sadly, even that is no
longer.

No more local listings, no 24/7 listings and the TV
coverage is reduced to grids that only cover networks
& cable stations, not local stations and only certain
time periods. This is a shame.

This new format may increase your circulation with
it's bigger size and more room for flashy graphics and
celebrity photos, but it reduces TV Guide to merely
being an entertainment magazine that gives only a
cursory look at the week's viewing.


Dr. Thong, you just took the words right out of my mouth. TV Guide has become just another tabloid, IMHO. They should just change their name to "Entertainment Gossip".

I finally went out and got me one and I must say I do like the color photos and the articles...on the other hand although I do like how they got the nighttime shows set up--much better compared to the last few years of TV Guide ( not the grids but the Highlight Pages), I do miss the local listings. If they correct this I would be satisfied.

Dr. Thong, you just took the words right out of my mouth. TV Guide has become just another tabloid, IMHO. They should just change their name to "Entertainment Gossip".

I don't know how old you are, but if you ever read TV Guide in the '70s and early '80s, you got to read excellent, well-written articles that weren't fluff pieces. They would cover industry topics like the FCC and censorship and covered many angles that the current magazine doesn't. Of course, they did celebrity profiles, but they were meatier pieces than what the current mag features. They went beyond gossipy gloss, which the current mag doesn't.

And the listings were in-depth. Whenever they did a close-up on a particular show, it was a half-page write up. The quality of writing is nowhere near the level it was in those days.

Now, they no longer have local listings at all, just national listings for NBC, FOX, ABC and all the national networks. I won't renew my subscription.

That is only NOT annoying to people in the Eastern timezone. I'll just consult the net for what's on in my timezone.

I say let those who listed Hogan's Heroes (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=71) as the fifth worst TV show of all-time suffer a long and painful death!

:thumbsup: Have a cake.

I guess what always irked me was the extensive coverage of movies. Um...it's TV Guide, not movie guide. I can read about movies in Entertainment Weekly. We;ll see how much space they devote to movies now.