Commentary
Yankee
- by William J. McGee , March 12, 2009
So, too, does Yankee magazine define New England. Where I live now, in the New Haven area, it even occasionally pops up in convenience stores or gas stations or supermarket checkout lines. Up in these parts it's not quite as ubiquitous as Democratic members of Congress (for the first time since 1854, not one seat in New England's delegation to the House of Representatives belongs to a Republican). But the magazine is never hard to locate, either.
Of course, any metropolis in America big enough to boast of a professional sports team or a sitcom setting already has a regional magazine. But the quality of so many of those periodicals is rather cookie-cutter, sustained by cover profiles of local newscasters or advertorials disguised as "weekend getaway" vacations. In fact, I have a journalist friend who told me many such mags survive on the advertising generated by the annual Best Local Pizza Issue or Best Local Ice Cream Issue or Best Local Dentists Issue (chances are each of the winners and runners-up bought at least a quarter-page ad).
Yankee is different. It's not about the Best Haircut in Vermont or the Best Chinese Take-Out in Rhode Island. Take the March/April issue as an example. The feature "History in the Making" focuses on photographer Tim Llewellyn's coverage of Barack Obama's campaign strategizing in New Hampshire last year. In a breaking-news world, such a piece may seem ancient now, but as the title implies, this is about history rather than headlines. The portrait that emerges of our new President is best summed up by this observation from Llewellyn: "My father, who had voted Republican in an uninterrupted streak that ran for 50 years, voted for a Democrat last November."
That said, Yankee underwent a format change a few years ago and is now of average magazine size, unlike the shorter, squatter Yankee of many decades. It's now jam-packed with smaller advertisements in the front of the book, while the back is bursting with ads in an almost PennySaverish format. But it's the editorial content that at times seems to need a boost:
The magazine's strong point is longer features, like "Along the Border," which provides a fascinating examination of how the "friendliest border in the world" between the U.S. and Canada has been revamped since 9/11, causing a massive drop-off in crossings. For New England locals, this issue contains lots of compelling reading, including a helpful guide to experiencing ten epic events over the next year. And there's plenty about those Red Sox.
The main thing is that no one can accuse the Yankee staff of forgetting its roots. In fact, there's a sort of telescoping quality to the term Yankee that this publication has been celebrating since its inception in 1935. Some foreigners refer to all Americans as Yanks, of course, while Southerners use it to depict the Union states. Yet within the North itself, Yankee means New England (and oh how diehard Red Sox Nation fans must viscerally react to being tarred with the brand name of the Derek Jeter/A-Rod/Steinbrenner Evil Empire itself). And so Yankee magazine celebrates all that is New England, and for the most part does so in a way that interests those beyond its borders.
And that's what makes it unique among regional mags: Many who don't care at all about New England would still find it an interesting read. And not every metropolis can boast of a magazine like that.
MAG STATS
Published by: Yankee Publishing Inc.
Frequency: 6 times per year
Web site: www.yankeemagazine.com
It has inspired me to dream that I could do the same thing. Publish a 'Magazine of the Northern Neck', that finger of land that lies between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers in Tidewater Virginia. It was for the most part 'cut off' from the rest of the world until a bridge was built over the Rappahannock in 1953. It is a land still back in almost colonial times and the accent of the natives is still almost as pure as it was 200 years ago.
Hummm, I have a historic 300 plus years old property there, what am I doing in California selling interactive media?
Thanks I really enjoyed your article.
For real? Mel Allen from Yankee? How ironic! It's as if you were meant for the position. While I realize in this case Yankee equates with New England and not New York, the Mel Allen of New York Yankees announcing fame is legendary. Obviously, you're bound for greatness with the pub.