For other uses of the word (with different case), see Parade . For the British magazine for men, see Parade .

Parade is a national Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 400 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in America, Parade has a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 71 million.

Publishing history and circulation

The magazine was started by Field Enterprises in 1941. John Hay Whitney, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, bought Parade in 1958. Booth Newspapers purchased it in 1973. Booth was purchased by Advance Publications in 1976, and Parade became a separate operating unit within Advance.

The magazine is printed on newsprint, although usually a higher quality of newsprint than the rest of the newspaper, but of lesser quality than magazine paper.

The magazine has one main feature article, occasionally a smaller feature article, and a number of regular columns. There is also a significant amount of advertising for consumer products, some with clipable coupons or tear-off business reply cards (known as Parade Ansercards). Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising is common. Most issues have several "public notice" type advertisements such as notifications of recently settled class-action suits.

The magazine has a lag time to publication of about 10 days. This arrangement has led the magazine to be criticized for its slow reaction to events. For example, the January 6, 2008, edition cover and main article asks if Benazir Bhutto is "America's best hope against Al-Qaeda," after her December 27, 2007, assassination. In response to reader complaints, Parade stated on their website:

"Dear Parade Readers,

Parade publishes more than 32 million copies of each issue and distributes them to 415 newspapers across the country. In order to meet our printing, distribution and insertion deadlines, we must send the issue to the printer three weeks before the cover date. Our Benazir Bhutto issue, for example, went to press on Dec. 19. By the time Ms. Bhutto was slain on Dec. 27, this issue of Parade was already printed and shipped to our partner newspapers. Recalling, reprinting and redistributing our January 6 issue was not an option."

A similar incident occurred in the February 11, 2007 issue when Walter Scott's Personality Parade reported that Barbaro, an American thoroughbred racehorse who was the winner of the 2006 Kentucky Derby, was in "stable" condition. Barbaro had been euthanized on January 29, 2007.

For years, under the ownership of Tribune Co., Parade was inserted into the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times. This ceased after August 16, 2009.

Mission statement

"Joining the right writer to the right idea, Parade consistently provides its readers with quality stories. That quality itself is defined by three elements: clarity, authority and substance. Each article must be clear in design and content and well researched and written with a voice of authority. It must also have substance, telling readers something they didn’t know before and giving them an opportunity to affect change."

Columns and special features

• Personality Parade by Walter Scott (a pseudonym; the author is Edward Klein)
  • This section is a roundup of questions about various celebrities. More often than not, the celebrities mentioned will be involved in some project or movie which is just about to be released.
• Ask Marilyn by Marilyn vos Savant
  • Marilyn answers questions from readers, ranging from brain-teasers, to explanations of illogical customs, to advice, to actual legitimate philosophical questions. Occasionally she will pose a brainteaser of her own, or poll her readers.
• Health by Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld
• Fitness by Michael O'Shea
• In Step With by James Brady
  • An interview with a celebrity, usually one who has a new project.
• Intelligence Report: News items and consumer advice, often for saving money or understanding tax laws.
• Laugh Parade: cartoon panel
• The Parade All-America High School Teams--this sports franchise highlights the nation's best high school athletes in boys and girls basketball, football and boys and girls soccer. The annual selections are chosen by coaches, scouts, recruiters and a battery of other professionals, and coordinated by Michael O'Shea.

In popular culture

The Simpsons

• In the eighth season episode "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase," Principal Skinner works for Chief Wiggum as his private detective sidekick in New Orleans. "Skinny Boy" describes how he read about the infamous crime lord, "Big Daddy," in Parade magazine.
• In the episode "G.I. ", Homer Simpson joins the Army and demands a parade, but is given a copy of Parade magazine instead.
• In the episode "Home Away From Homer", Ned Flanders says he saw his first Humble figurine (a parody of Hummel figurines) in Parade magazine.

Other references

• In the Family Guy movie, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, Stewie Griffin meets his future self, and is disgusted by what a loser he has become. The young Stewie is particularly disgusted upon learning that his future self reads Parade magazine.

External links

• Parade official website
• Parade articles by Andrew Vachss

References

1. 'Parade' expands its circulation reach - Crain's New York Business
2. http://www.parade.com/images/-v2/home/2008/0106/010608COV-big.jpg
3. 'A Wrong Must Be Righted' | PARADE Magazine
4. Walter Scott's Personality Parade | PARADE Magazine