Yankee by the Decades

1930s

Robb and Trix Sagendorph founded Yankee Magazine in Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1935. Robb was a frustrated freelance writer who believed that New England needed a magazine “for Yankee readers, by Yankee writers.” The initial subscriber list totaled 614 names, of which 600 had been purchased from a fraudulent subscription agency that had simply picked names at random from the Boston telephone book. So it could be said that Yankee actually began with 14 subscribers. Fortunately, the couple was able to live off Trix’s family money as the business got going. An accomplished artist, Trix contributed illustrations to the magazine’s pages. She provided illustrations for hundreds of Yankee covers, from the 1930s through the 1960s. In 1939 Sagendorph purchased the publishing rights to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, America’s oldest continuously published periodical, from Little, Brown in Boston, and became its 11th editor since its first appearance in 1792. It had fallen on hard times during the Depression years, even omitting its famous weather forecasts from the 1938 edition, a blunder often blamed for the plummet in circulation to fewer than 80,000 readers. (Circulation had been twice that figure during the Civil War years.) However, Sagendorph immediately restored it to health, both financially and editorially.

1940s

During World War II Robb Sagendorph was recruited to serve in the Bureau of Censorship in New York. While working full-time, he continued to publish small editions of Yankee and to maintain the Yankee trademark. The scarcity of paper forced Yankee to go from 9×12 inches to “digest” size and then, to better fit the old letterpress printing presses, to the unique 6×9-inch trim size for which the magazine became well known. In July 1945, Sagendorph published a slim, 10-page issue of Yankee with these opening words: “With this issue Yankee returns to the old stand. We are back because our faith in the simple, everyday, honest things of life is as strong as ever.” Soon, subscriptions reached 10,000.

1950s

Circulation grew to more than 40,000 monthly during the late 1950s, but the principal money maker in those days remained The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which truly blossomed thanks to the national publicity that its weather forecasts, now written in rhyme, began to enjoy. Sagendorph appeared regularly on national radio and television programs and was a much-sought-after speaker at events throughout the New England states. (One of his favorite “props” was a wind-up moth; when he opened an old book from which to quote, it would fly out over the audience.) In 1958, Jud Hale, Sagendorph’s nephew, joined the company as assistant to the managing editor. Hale had recently graduated from Dartmouth and wasn’t sure how this first job would work out. He barely knew his uncle, who hadn’t been very encouraging when he wrote to ask about publishing as a career. But it turned out that Jud Hale had a knack for editing. Fifty-two years later, he’s still at Yankee as its editor-in-chief and chairman.

1960s

After Yankee celebrated its 25th anniversary and as the editorial demands of the operation increased, Sagendorph decided he needed help managing the business. His son-in-law Rob Trowbridge, a law school graduate working for a conglomerate in New Jersey, was ready for a hands-on job. When he joined Yankee in 1964 as associate publisher, Trowbridge made changes that led to growth in subscription, newsstand, and advertising sales. Small direct-response advertising, for which Yankee had been a forum from the beginning, took off. The number of pages per issue doubled during this decade. In addition, color printing was introduced for the first time within the text of the issues, with a color photo featured in each “center spread.” By the end of the decade, Yankee‘s circulation was almost 400,000.

1970s

Shortly before Robb Sagendorph died of cancer on July 4, 1970, he called both Hale and Trowbridge to his bedside. He appointed Hale editor and Trowbridge publisher. “But don’t grow the company any more, boys,” he advised. “Why not?” was the obvious question, and both Hale and Trowbridge expected profound advice. “Because,” said Sagendorph, “the plumbing won’t take it.” The “boys” didn’t heed his advice. Hale set about improving Yankee‘s editorial standards. Whereas Yankee had accepted stories from many sources, Hale began assigning stories to professional writers. And he hired some talented young editors and a new art director. The magazine switched to color printing during this decade. The intersection of two trends in American society drove Yankee‘s circulation to more than 800,000 in 1979. In reaction to the societal upset of the late 1960s and the 1970s, many readers came to Yankee for the comfort of its traditional storytelling. At the same time, young readers who wanted to get “back to the land” picked up Yankee for its useful how-to information.

1980s

As Yankee approached its 50th anniversary in 1985, the company pursued a strategy of aggressive growth. Page counts in issues reached the maximum that could be bound with staples. And it promoted Yankee subscriptions with the goal of pushing circulation over one million in expectation that a higher circulation would help attract national advertising. Trowbridge wanted to expand on the success of Yankee and The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The company had begun publishing books in the 1960s and new magazines in the 1970s. Now it decided to acquire existing magazines in other markets. It bought Alaska magazine, Texas Business, and ASTA Travel News (a trade publication for travel agents). The purchase of Texas Business coincided with the “oil bust” in Texas, and the purchase of ASTA Travel News was ill advised. By the end of the decade both magazines were gone, and the company had to go back to basics to recover from the losses. In 1988 Trowbridge became chairman of the company and appointed Joseph Meagher, formerly the associate publisher, as its new president.

1990s

To pay down the debt built up in the previous decade, Yankee was managed for profitability for the first time in its history. However, the quality of Yankee‘s editorial continued to improve. In both 1995 and 1996 Yankee was named a finalist for a National Magazine Award in the “General Excellence” category. At the same time, Yankee launched its first Web site, NewEngland.com. In the 1980s the economics of magazine publishing had started to shift toward favoring advertising sales over sales to the consumer. In the 1990s magazines kept lowering their subscription prices to increase their circulations, and that forced Yankee to lower its prices to remain competitive. Without a big base of national advertising to support a high circulation, Yankee was forced to cut back on subscription promotion, too. Media conglomerates were buying up magazines, radio stations, newspapers, and television stations. It wasn’t clear that small independent publishers such as Yankee Publishing Inc. would be able to compete in a marketplace dominated by media giants. At the same time, it was already apparent that consumers were turning to the Internet for information and entertainment. Many questions arose in the face of these challenges. Instead of selling to a big media company, YPI’s board and shareholders decided to remain independent and family-owned. Jamie Trowbridge, Rob Trowbridge’s son and Sagendorph’s grandson, took over as president in November 1999.

2000s

In 2000, Jud Hale was appointed editor-in-chief and Jim Collins was named editor. From 2001 to 2006, Michael Carlton served as editor. From its inception, Yankee had always been a general-interest publication, but with “niche” media succeeding, Carlton took steps to focus the magazine more on service to the reader. In 2002, Yankee expanded its coverage of food, home, and travel and cut fiction, poetry, and history as feature subjects. Meanwhile, Yankee continued to invest in its Web sites. In both 2005 and 2007 YankeeMagazine.com won a City and Regional Magazine Association Award for “Excellence Online.” In response to continuing changes in the media industry, Jamie Trowbridge led a major restructuring of Yankee, appointing Mel Allen, who had joined Yankee in 1979, as the new editor. In 2007, Yankee emerged redesigned as a full-size magazine with a six-time frequency. Allen infused the new magazine with its old “voice,” some of which had been lost after the editorial changes of 2002. Many loyal readers lamented the size change initially, but the increased graphical impact of the magazine in its new format has contemporized the magazine for the 21st century.

2010

On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, Yankee continues to evolve to meet the needs of today’s media consumer. But some things haven’t changed. Independence, integrity, ingenuity, perseverance, self-sufficiency, community – these are the values that have made both New England and Yankee Publishing successful. Yankee continues to adhere to those values today.

2013

YPI acquired the assets of McLean Communications, which publishes New Hampshire Magazine, New Hampshire Business Review, Parenting New Hampshire, New Hampshire Home, and a variety of custom publications. McLean operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of YPI. With this acquisition, YPI now employs a staff of 82 people. The transaction closed on Friday, December 28, 2012.

2015

Yankee Magazine celebrates its 80^th anniversary year with September/October issue 2015.  The New York Times reports “At 80, Yankee Magazine Is Thriving as an Avatar of New England.”

2016

Yankee Magazine moves its online home to NewEngland.com a new multi-portal website designed to be the ultimate online resource for the New England region offering original expert content on New England travel, lifestyle, food, and the best events. YankeeMagazine and public media powerhouse WGBH announce the production of Weekends with Yankee, a new 13 episode television series to premiere nationally on public television the Spring of 2017.