A half-century: long enough to be distinctive, but short enough to fit within the span of retrievable human memory. In compiling this 50th-anniversary edition, we consulted with several past leaders of our publication. Each past editor left his or her impression on our pages, and we are grateful to them for carrying Memphis Magazine forward. Like most human endeavors that endure, this one has been a relay race, with each editor carrying the baton for a few miles, a few laps around the sun, before handing it over to the person waiting around the bend. Here, then, are reflections from a few of the relay-runners from years gone by — presented with our thanks to all those involved in creating and maintaining this enterprise. — Anna Traverse
It was 2006, and I was returning to my alma mater, Memphis Magazine, after an ill-advised move to Los Angeles and two jobs since I’d left, this time as editor.
Luckily, I was rejoining an incredible editorial staff (with a core editorial team of Michael Finger, Frank Murtaugh, Marilyn Sadler, and John Branston) who knew their way around a magazine. And for the looming 30th anniversary, we were launching a full redesign. New logo. Custom fonts, even a new art director in the form of Hudd Byard.
AUGUST 2007. L-R: Dave Brown, Steve Cohen, Amy LaVere, and Thomas Boggs.
Hudd and I had similar ideas about what the magazine could be, and we spent months holed up in the conference room with ripped-out pages from publications we admired, hand-drawn sketches, and a list of fresh editorial ideas that would create a new front-of-the-magazine experience for readers. We added civic and service journalism, a sleek Style section, and bite-size pieces including “Point/Counterpoint,” where the staff argued the merits of some of the most critical issues of our time, including the beach vs. the pool, Spider-Man vs. Batman, and Grease vs. Saturday Night Fever. On and on.
In April 2006, we launched the reimagined 30th anniversary issue of Memphis. And while we got a lot of positive feedback, I knew that the next issue would be the one to set the tone, to reinforce that this was not a one-off for the anniversary and not your grandfather’s Memphis.
The May 2006 issue featured a messy barbecue sandwich from the Bar-B-Q Shop — the winner in our blind tasting competition judged by the staff at Contemporary Media — with the words “BITE ME. THE BEST DAMN BBQ SANDWICH. PERIOD.” on the cover.
Was there some internal concern from the top that this might ruffle some feathers? Scare away some advertisers? Offend subscribers? Of course. But thankfully, when the dust settled, it was approved. And yes, we got a few pearl-clutching letters about it, but it worked. People were talking about it. Later that year, Memphis was the best-selling magazine at Davis-Kidd Bookstore (now Novel). Our subscriber base grew. We were selling copies at select retailers across the city, and people were flocking to the website to check out the offerings. But most importantly, we got reader feedback thanking us for making the magazine a mirror of the city: good, bad, and yes, sometimes ugly.
I remembered the too-often-heard voices of skeptics in my head who said we’d never be able to maintain the stamina year after year, and print would be dead in a decade. I had two words for them: Bite me.
I can only speak for myself, but I had the time of my life curating issues and penning thousands of words — working with our tireless team to ensure each issue was better than the last.
In 2007, Memphis hosted the City & Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) annual meeting, and I was the chairman, charged with getting two days’ worth of experts and journalism pros here for a series of panel discussions and events. Showing off our city to other editors, publishers, and staffers from New York to Los Angeles and dozens of cities in between — there were about 80 or so member publications at the time — was a thrill.
Also thrilling? We were notified that Memphis Magazine had placed in the General Excellence category — the coveted top honor and literally the gold standard for city magazines.
And we won.
For the first time in the magazine’s history, we won Gold. The room was a blur and my adrenaline on fire as I walked from our table in the Peabody ballroom to the podium to pick up the award. We knew we were doing good work, but to be honored by some of the best minds in journalism is a unique validation. We went on to win Gold again in 2008 and 2010, my last year as editor. Memphis won again in 2015 and has been a finalist in the General Excellence category several times since.
It was powerful, and inspirational. And as a pile of rowdy staffers headed to an after party to celebrate, I remembered the too-often-heard voices of skeptics in my head who said we’d never be able to maintain the stamina year after year, and print would be dead in a decade. I had two words for them: Bite me.
Happy 50th, Memphis Magazine.
Mary Helen Randall is now the principal, crisis communications for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
