REPORT TO THE PUBLISHERS

REPORT

Photographs by Herb McLaughlin and Doug Brader Arizona Photographic Associates

Welcome to ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

TO THE PUBLISHERS THE STORY OF ARIZONA By Raymond Carlson, Editor HIGHWAYS

This issue, as we have pointed out editorially, is important to all of us at ARIZONA HIGHWAYS because we are now, at long last, a complete Arizona product. On this momentous occasion we would like to digress briefly from our mission of telling the wonderful Arizona Story to make a report to our publishers, the people of the State of Arizona, on the operation of this magazine.

What we have to say should be of interest not only to our publishers, our own people, but to many of our readers elsewhere who have expressed interest in the general subject of a state magazine.

The place to begin is at the beginning.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is a state magazine, one of thirty-two state magazines published in the United States. The Arizona State Legislature in the Motor Vehicle Code of 1925 authorized the Arizona Highway Commission to produce "brochures, maps and other printed material to encourage travel to and through the state. 'Way back then our folks were tourist-minded!

The first issue of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS appeared in 1925. Volume 1 Number 1, under the proud slogan, "Civilization Follows the Improved Highway," carried this announcement boldly stating the magazine's mission and purpose in life:

TO THE PUBLIC

With this issue, ARIZONA HIGHWAYS makes its bow to its public. In its decision to issue a magazine devoted to the interest of good roads, the Arizona Highway Department is following the example of 22 other state highway departments, the American Association of State Highway Officials and the United States Bureau of Public Roads, in disseminating information in regard to its activities and those of the nation.

to its public. In its decision to issue a magazine devoted to the interest of good roads, the Arizona Highway Department is following the example of 22 other state highway departments, the American Association of State Highway Officials and the United States Bureau of Public Roads, in disseminating information in regard to its activities and those of the nation.

Although, during a previous administration, a pamphlet dealing with highways in Arizona was issued at intervals, the inauguration of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is the first big step forward to tell the people of Arizona and other states of the work being done by the Arizona Highway Department.

The necessity of such an organ for the Highway Department has become apparent through the scores of letters received from persons in this and other states in quiring into its activities or seeking information in regard to Arizona's highways.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS will be published each month by the Arizona Highway Department. It will contain in each issue many interesting and well-illustrated articles by authorities on roads and allied subjects, furnishing authentic information of value to all who use Arizona's highways for business or pleasure.

For the information of motorists of Arizona and tourists from east and west, each issue will contain a travelogue of one of the 18 main routes in the state. The travelogue will tell the route of the particular highway, illustrated by a map of the highway, pointing out the conditions of the road along the route, the towns visited, historic points of interest and a description of the scenery.

The first travelogue, contained in this issue, is of the Yuma-Phoenix highway, from the California State Line to the Arizona Capital City. It provides valuable information to all who traverse this well-traveled highway. A comprehensive program has been outlined for ARIZONA HIGHWAYS and it will grow bigger and better with each issue. Suggestions containing constructive criticism are solicited and will be given careful consideration. Those who favor good roads will boost ARIZONA HIGHWAYS.

1925The magazine's annual budget: $20,000; circulation, 1,000; subscription price, $1.00 per year: 10c per copy; employees, 2; paid subscribers, 0.

For the first decade or so ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Was mainly an engineering-technical journal featuring highway construction and other subjects relating to the oper-ation of the Arizona Highway Department. The mage-zine did not use color until the mid 30's and then only an occasional cover page. The first December issue using a color insert, color covers and a Christmas motif, establishing a pattern that has continued stuce, appeared in 1938. In the early years ARIZONA HIGHWAYS accepted advertising, mainly from road equipment manufacturing firms. Advertising was dropped in 1939. The reasons for doing so wers: first, we felt advertising detracted from the beauty of a scenic, travel magazine, and second, by accepting advertising we would be competing with other Arizona publications and newspapers for the advertiser's dollar, something that would be unwise. (To have the publishers of Arizons on our necks would not only be unwise but would be suicidal. Those boys carry a lot of weight around this state?) In the early 40's we had definitely accepted a format as a scenic, travel magazine. Our growth in circulation, while słow, was at least noticeable. Our annual state subsidy by 1944 had reached $100,000, but in that year the State Legislature amended the law to allow us to use monies earned by the magazine.

From 1944 to 1961 the state appropriation for the publication remained at $100,000. During that time our circulation went from an average of 55,000 issines a month to approximately 350,000 a month. Our fast all-color Christmas issue appeared in 1946. That issue had a print order of 250,000. Now we run 1,000,000 copies for our all-color Christmas issue.

In 1961, because of soaring publication and postage costs (everything seems to have gone up since World War II), our annual appropriation was raised to $150,000.

Because we are sure all publishers of magazines every-where in the world are interested in the financial picture of their respective magazine, we would like to pause here to talk finances of your magazine, ARIZONA HIGHWAYS.

Accounting, billing department

Keeping in mind the sum of $150,000 now allowed us by the state, you have a right to ask what do you receive for your money?

You receive this year, as you have received since 1945, the official state highway map which we are directed by law to produce. This year the design, production and distribution of these maps will cost us some $50,000.

As this is being written we are in the process of distributing our 1963 official state highway department road maps, 500,000 in number, superbly manufactured for us by Rand McNally & Company. We are very proud of our map. We consider it one of the most attractive road maps produced by any state in this country.

We also operate, independent of the magazine, a travel and tourist bureau which answers thousands of inquiries each year. We estimate the cost to us of this very valuable service to Arizona at a minimum of $10,000 a year.

Another valuable service which we perform in Arizona is the distribution of magazines to conventions each year all over this country, Canada and occasionally to other countries. Last year we sent out to conventions (Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Elks, Jaycees, National Educational Association, and 275 others) approximately 275,000 magazines at no charge whatsoever to Arizona delegates attending those conventions. (Remember: our primary mission in life is to promote travel to Arizona and we know of no better way of doing it than by supplying our magazines as travel literature to these conventions. Further, we believe that this service has been partly responsible for the increasing number of national and regional conventions coming to Arizona in recent years, a service, therefore, that more than pays for its cost to us and the state.)

General circulation area

Deducting the above services from our annual allotment of $150,000, we estimate that actual state monies going into the production of this publication will be approximately $85,000. When you realize that this sum will not nearly pay our postage bill, we would like to go into an explanation of our revenues (fiscal year 1961-62), which by law we have been allowed to use for our own operation since 1944, to further explain our operations and why we can stay afloat financially.

During the fiscal year 1961-62, 73% of our income came from subscriptions: amount, $993,519.91; 18% of our income came from newsstand sales: amount, $252,726.69; and 9% of our income came from sales of our by-products (further explanation later): amount, $118,024.51; or a total income of $1,363,271.11. Add our annual appropriation, $150,000, the total is $1,513,271.11. At the end of the fiscal year we had a balance of approximately $6,000.

Ninety-six percent of our subscription distribution is outside of Arizona. California leads in number of our subscribers, and may God bless our friends in California! (Without them we would probably be out of business. Evidence: there are four times more subscribers in Los Angeles alone than in the entire state of Arizona.) California, therefore, leads in the number of subscribers on our subscription rolls. In subscribers, that state is followed by Illinois, Texas, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa; states, incidentally, from which most of our visitors come.

We now have over 75,000 names in our donor files (names of persons and firms using our magazine as gifts to recipients for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.). Over 50,000 of these donors are residents of states outside Arizona.

We have, now, subscribers in every state in the U.S.A. and in 72 countries beyond our borders.