People launched in 1974 wrapping tabloid content in respectable Time-style packaging

Evidence

Nearly a year later, on March 4, 1974, People finally arrived on newsstands. From the press release: “This week Time Inc. takes its co-founder’s [Henry Luce’s] thought a large step forward by bringing out PEOPLE, a new magazine based on the old journalistic precept that names make news.” Indeed, under Stolley’s influence, the new People looked like Time, with its glossy paper, conventional fonts, and modest-sized headlines. The first cover was graced with a strikingly beautiful photograph of Mia Farrow, holding a string of pearls in her mouth; that year she would star as Daisy Buchanan in the film version of The Great Gatsby. As to what was inside, however, that was little different from the old gossip rags. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 760

Categorization

• SEED: Essay angle: how ‘respectable packaging’ of celebrity gossip marked a key moment when mainstream media absorbed tabloid attention tactics.