California (magazine, defunct 1991) explained

California
Frequency:Monthly
Category:Politics and lifestyle
Firstdate:26 April 1976 (as New West)
Finaldate:September 1991
Country:United States
Based:Los Angeles
Language:English

California was an American monthly magazine, published from 1976 to 1991, which focused on the state of California.

It was founded as New West magazine in 1976 by Clay Felker, founder of New York magazine, as its sister publication covering the West Coast.[1] [2] It featured writers such as Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion and Joe Eszterhas.[1] It was purchased by Rupert Murdoch in 1977. In 1980, it was sold to Mediatex Communications Corp., which published Texas Monthly. Mediatex changed the name of the magazine to California in 1981.[1]

For 15 years, the magazine was a purveyor of "new journalism". The magazine first exposed Jim Jones' People's Temple. Jones left the same night that an editor at New West magazine read him an article to be published by Marshall Kilduff detailing allegations of abuse by former Temple members.[3] [4]

The magazine exposed defects in Firestone tires and issues with the sleeping pill Halcion.[5] A California May 1983 article "Top Guns", written by Ehud Yonay, profiled US Navy pilots training at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego and served as the inspiration for the 1986 movie Top Gun.[6]

The magazine's circulation peaked at about 360,000 in 1987.[7] By 1991, circulation had dropped to 250,000 and it was shut down along with sister publication SF.[7]

Notes and References

  1. News: California, 2 other magazines folding (part 2). 30 July 1991. Los Angeles Times. Alan. Citron.
  2. News: Lindsey . Robert . 'New West' Is Out - Looking like 'New York' . 19 May 2023 . The New York Times . 17 April 1976.
  3. Book: Krause . Charles . Layton . Deborah . Introduction – Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples Temple . Anchor Books. 133.
  4. Kilduff, Marshall and Phil Tracy."Inside Peoples Temple." Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University. August 1, 1977.
  5. News: The death of a California magazine. 11 October 1991. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Baine. Wallace.
  6. News: 24 May 2017. The Secret Jewish History Of 'Top Gun'. The Forward. Steven. Davidson.
  7. News: California, 2 other magazines folding (part 1). 30 July 1991. Los Angeles Times. Alan. Citron.