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| Hearst Corporation's BYU Studies Makeover |
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK—Bernie Sokoloff, spokesperson for
the Hearst Corporation, announced Friday the purchase of the financially
troubled BYU Studies scholarly journal. “Here
at Hearst, we see great potential in BYU
Studies,” said Sokoloff, “and with resources from our other holdings, we
can make BYU Studies the Mormon
moment equivalent of our fabulous O, The
Oprah Magazine.”
When asked to elaborate on how Hearst might use its publications
to improve BYU Studies, Sokoloff
explained that “we are already working with Mormon historians on a Cosmo-inspired article with 30 sex tips
from Brigham Young’s wives, with the initial title, ‘How to Drive your Man Wild
as if you were Competing with 12 Other Women!’”
Sokoloff further elaborated that the LDS emphasis on the
materiality of resurrected bodies “overlaps nicely with key magazine themes.” To illustrate this point, Sokoloff cited the
forthcoming BYU Studies article “Why Wait
for the Resurrection to have the Thighs You Deserve.” Additional history, health, and beauty
articles will explore Mary Fielding Smith’s advice on how to get “sexy, rock-hard abs” (push a handcart for 1,300 miles).
Editors from Seventeen will
also be brought in to offer “Tips on Keeping Your Hair Cute while doing
Baptisms for the Dead” and “25 Fun and Flirty Outfits for this Season’s Cache
Valley Family Funerals.”
Publishing industry experts see Hearst’s move as important
for its long-range plans. According to Danielle
Miller from industry consultants Magazine Vistas, “Hearst sees this as a
strategic purchase that is pivotal in their attempt to gain a larger market
share if in fact the Mormon moment becomes a Mormon month or even, heaven forbid,
a Mormon millennium.” Other publishing
firms have made similar moves, including Condé Nast Publications recent acquisition
of Dialogue – A Journal of Mormon Thought,
which it plans on merging with other holdings The New Yorker, Architectural
Digest, Self, and Brides, as well as emerging giant Halliburton-Rove
Corporation's recent purchase of Sunstone
and attempted hostile takeover of The
Friend.
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