Windows Towards the West: Exploring the Emergence of Popular Magazines in Yugoslavia in the 1960s and Early 1970s

Abstract

The 1960s were a golden age for Vjesnik, the largest publishing house in Yugoslavia, which invested in market research to launch new, successful issues, largely modeled on Western magazines. This paper explores the factors that enabled their emergence and argues they were the product of significant changes occurring in Yugoslav society in the 1960s. Building on the literature on press theory, the development of tourism and consumerism, and Western cultural influences in Yugoslavia, the changes are identified as the following: opening towards the West and changes in work time that enabled the rise of tourism and consumerism; a more liberal media policy, and the implementation of self-management that enabled different sources of media funding and the professionalization of journalism. The main goal is to examine how these changes spurred the development of Vjesnik in view of the launch and characteristics of its successful magazines in the 1960s and early 1970s.