Frank Deaver Rotary Editorials

     Of the various magazines that come into our homes, our own magazine, The Rotarian, is special.  From an always spectacular cover to the information and inspiration in its pages, it reinforces the Rotary themes of fellowship and service.  Throughout the year, it provides Rotarians with up-to-date information and good reading.  Every month we get a fresh and colorful publication in hand, and it is ours to use to strengthen our clubs and our own Rotary lives.

     Magazines, all magazines, address a typically narrow niche of society.  Magazines dedicate their subject matter to automobiles, astronomy, animals, architecture, airplanes, antiques, and astrology; to family, football, fashion, food, finance, and fitness; and to a long list of other subjects under every letter of the alphabet.

     Magazines in general have evolved under the dual influence of consumer interests and technological capabilities.  Earliest magazines were an alternative to newspapers, offering pictures first from sketch artists, then from early box cameras, and now from digital photography.  We find it hard to ignore today’s bright, glossy covers, offering to transport us into a world of fantasy within their pages.

     Into this evolution of magazine format The Rotarian was born.  First called The National Rotarian, its first year, 1911, was marked by only two editions.  Then with its name changed in 1912 to The Rotarian, it grew steadily in both content and circulation.  Today it is printed in about 500,000 copies each month, and distributed to readers in 120 countries.

     In addition, 31 regional Rotary magazines are published in 24 languages and have a combined additional circulation of 750,000 in 127 countries.  Each magazine is unique, with its own local editorial slant. At the same time, the regional magazines include articles and photographs of international Rotary interest that are provided by The Rotarian.

     Readers of The Rotarian are a select group.  More than 78 percent are college graduates, 41 percent with advanced degrees; 67 percent have a current passport and 63 percent have traveled internationally in the past three years.  And they are computer users, to the extent of 92 percent.

     These demographics attract select advertisers, who want to reach such a specific audience.  Observation of ads in any issue of The Rotarian will illustrate the upscale products and services offered to readers.

     Editorial content also targets readers of these characteristics.  Each edition offers thoughtful articles, some written by staff and editors, some by articulate Rotarians with multiple specialties.  In addition, well-known writers have contributed, including Pearl Buck, Jimmy Carter, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller, Norman Vincent Peale, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lowell Thomas, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

     Are we persuaded that The Rotarian is an excellent vehicle of communication?  Then how can individual Rotary Clubs maximize the benefits of “our magazine”?  Here are some ideas, which fall conveniently into two categories.

     In the club:  Call attention to particular content of a current edition, encouraging readership and fulfilling the role of Rotary Information.  Have a monthly quiz on content of the current edition, perhaps with prizes, fulfilling the role of Rotary Fellowship.  Target the “Family of Rotary” by providing home addresses for mailing, so a Rotarian’s family may also see the magazine.

     In the community:  Order complimentary copies for libraries, schools, Interact and Rotaract Clubs.  Collect recent past issues from club members and place them in waiting rooms of lawyers, doctors, dentists, and hospitals.  External circulation is good public relations, and can result in new members.

     Our magazine, The Rotarian, is indeed a valuable tool, and it can be even more so in this “Celebrate Rotary” year. (2004-2005) Use it to the maximum, to further the causes of Rotary!