offered the magazine its first declines since its incep-
tion. The advances of network news from small,
under-financed departments, to large-scale interna-
tional operations, along with the generous airtime
now given to the nightly news, greatly increased
their audience. For example, despite having top
photojournalists covering the Vietnam War,Life’s
coverage was dominated by that on television. In
turn, advertising revenues started to taper off at the
magazine as television offered cheaper advertising
when considered in terms of dollars per viewer
reached.
Part ofLife’s success had always been serendipi-
tous; the reasons for its decline would be likewise
partially out of its hands. In the 1930s, Luce and
his editors were able to capitalize on advances in
technology to bring a new type of magazine to the
public. In the 1960s it was the broadcast networks’
turn at wild popularity. As good as war had always
been for the magazine, and the Vietnam war was
no exception, even more people turned to nightly
news to bring images of the conflict into their
homes. In the wake of television’s monumental
success, and with ever increasing publication costs
unmet by dwindling advertising revenue, Life
ceased publishing as a weekly with the 29 Decem-
ber 1972 issue. Hedley Donovan, then Editor-in-
Chief, explained that the magazine had been losing
money for four years before deciding to close
down. He also held out the promise of a possible
return by noting that they had not sold the name.
The magazine did produce occasional ‘‘Special
Event’’ issues over the next six years and the mod-
erate success of those led the company to try once
again to publishLife, only now as a monthly.
The newLifebegan with the October 1978 issue
and carried on, at times even thriving, until its
May 2000 issue. Pictorially, the new Life had
much in common with its forebear—perhaps too
much. Often the magazine seemed dedicated to
nostalgia. It did have its high points, though.
During the 1980s,Liferan emotionally charged
stories, such as Donna Ferrato’s 1985 piece on
domestic violence, which often placed the maga-
zine at the forefront of photojournalism again.
And in 1991 the magazine returned to the weekly
format as a response to the increased interest
generated by the Gulf War. Though short-lived,
the experiment was based on the editors’ past
experiences with increased circulation during war-
time. Later in the decade, after returning to the
monthly format, Lifebegan enjoying profitable
years again. The period of economic health lasted
until the late 1990s. At that point, the magazine’s
new editor dismissed approximately a third of the
staff, reverted toLife’s earlier signature style, and
reemphasized photojournalism. These efforts ap-
peared to be working when the announcement of
Life’s second closing was announced. Despite ris-
ing revenues, the costs of printing, paper, and
distribution proved overwhelming even for a ma-
gazine with the backing thatLifehad. Once again,
the publishers dangled the possibility of future
special issues.
Tellingly, in 2000 Life became available in a
limited format as an online journal—www.lifemag.
com.This digital incarnation ofLifemay prove to
be more prophetic than we now realize. The world
of photography on paper is losing increasing
ground to digital imaging. PerhapsLifeis once
again on the leading edge of how citizens of the
world will get their information—the company
does continue to control a vast pixilated domain
of the world’s visual culture.
JohnStombergSeealso:Bourke-White, Margaret; Capa, Robert;
Documentary Photography; Eisenstaedt, Alfred;
Farm Security Administration; History of Photogra-
phy: Interwar Years; Look; Salomon, Erich; Stry-
ker, RoyFurther Reading
Baughman, James L.Henry R. Luce and the Rise of Amer-
ican News Media. Boston: Twayne, 1987.
Elson, Robert T.Time Inc.: The Intimate History of a Pub-
lishing Enterprise. 3 vols., New York: Atheneum, 1968,
1973, 1986.
Goldberg, Vicki.Margaret Bourke-White: A Biography.
New York: Harper and Row, 1986.
Hicks, Wilson.Words and Pictures: An Introduction to Photo-
journalism. New York: Harper Brothers Publishers, 1952.
Kozol, Wendy.LIFE’s America: Family and Nation in Post-
war Photojournalism. Philadelphia: Temple University
Press, 1994.
Littman, Robert, and Doris C. O’Neil, eds.LIFE: The First
Decade, 1936–1945.Boston: New York Graphic Society,
1979.
Loengard, John.LIFE Photographers: What They Saw.
Boston: Bulfinch Press, 1998.
Maddow, Ben.Let Truth Be the Prejudice: W. Eugene
Smith, His Life and Photographs. Millertown, NY: Aper-
ture, 1985.
Maitland, Edey.Great Photographic Essays from LIFE.
Boston: Little Brown, 1978.
McGrath, Edward G.The Political Ideals of LIFE Maga-
zine. Ph.D. diss., Syracuse University, 1962.
Wainwright, Loudon.The Great American Magazine: An
InsideHistoryofLIFE.NewYork:AlfredA.Knopf,1986.LIFE MAGAZINE