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Upfront magazine, a joint publication of The New York Times and Scholastic Corp., is the only national news magazine specifically geared for high school students. The biweekly,
unlike the typical boy-band-and-beauty-trend teen book, covers everything from government to cultural events to technology - in a way that's accessible to the younger reader. But
don't think for a minute that that means dumbing down the copy. "We just have to be very good at explaining things," says Peter Young, new Upfront editor, formerly an editor with
The Times. "Teens don't have a memory - when I say 'Challenger explosion,' these guys don't remember it. When I say, 'the West Bank,' they say, 'west bank of what?' A lot of the
shorthand that goes on in the mainstream press is not common knowledge to them." The tactic must be working - with teachers and teens alike. Upfront catches the eyes of 1.2
million young readers with each issue, through home subscriptions and classroom distribution.
Content/Contacts
Upfront is packed with the latest news and trends, angled to teens. The current issue includes a look at "the lost boys" - young Sudanese refugees who are starting life anew
in America, an examination of how genetic engineering could produce "superathletes," and true tales from college campuses. "We're a national biweekly," Young says, "so things
that are specific to a particular city or state aren't generally going to be of much interest to us." Marie Morreale, entertainment editor, bears the brunt of pitches for the
magazine, Young says. "She knows the boy bands inside and out - she's on a first-name basis with 'N Sync." Email [email protected] or send other, non-entertainment pitches to [email protected].
Contact Young at [email protected].
Pitch Tips
If it affects readers between the ages of 13 and 18, Young wants to hear about it. He looks for studies on teen habits (smoking, drinking, media consumption) and teen-related
takes on national trends. For instance, teens were early adopters of wireless technologies and are now leading the way in integrating those technologies into daily life. If your
client offers class scheduling software for Palm Pilot owners, Upfront will be sure to cover it.
Fax and telephone pitches are taboo - Young says faxes often escape the attention of his editors and the staff is too busy to take phone pitches. Stick to short emails if
possible, or send snail mail, especially if you have back-up materials. Avoid contact at the end of the week during deadlines.
Comments
Young takes over as Upfront editor with the goal of strengthening the relationship between Scholastic and The Times. "It's a relatively young relationship, and the idea is
that we have the ability to ask Times reporters to write specifically for the magazine," he says. "We can have exclusive stories written by people in the field."
So don't be surprised to see topics - and bylines - from The New York Times crop up in the magazine. "Scholastic's mission is to promote literacy - and make a reasonable
profit," Young says. "What the Times gets out of this is its next generation of readers. The hope is that when these teens get older and form a newspaper habit," they'll become
subscribers.
In The Pipeline
Editors work about a month ahead, reserving a few pages for late breaking news. The goal, according to Young, is to get ahead of the news. "The traditional weekly news
magazines are giving you a look back at the past week. What we're trying to do is give a look forward. For example, this fall the magazine will be looking for angles for coverage
on President Bush's trip to China. "We'll be doing some kind of advance story on China - maybe China and Taiwan or China and spies. We'll write those stories in such a way that
this is background material" for teens for a larger discussion of the news that week, Young explains.