Sassy Magazine

Sassy was an American monthly teen magazine published from 1988 to 1996, known for candid coverage of sex, drugs, music and social issues aimed at teenage girls.

NOTE: This publication is defunct. All fields below reflect its historical operation and final ownership prior to its 1996 merger into 'Teen magazine.

Overview

Sassy was an American monthly magazine aimed at teenage girls, published from March 1988 to 1996. It covered sex, drugs, music, fashion and social issues in a candid, peer-voiced editorial style intended as a counterpoint to more conventional teen titles such as Seventeen. The magazine is currently inactive.

History

Sassy was founded in March 1988 by Australian publishing executive Sandra Yates, an executive with Fairfax Publications and CEO of Matilda Publications, who modeled the magazine on the Australian teen title Dolly. Yates hired 24-year-old Jane Pratt as founding editor. Speaking to the New York Times around the magazine's 1988 launch, Yates said American teen magazines were "like Good Housekeeping for teen-agers," adding that she intended to "prove that you can run a business with feminist principles and make money." Sassy launched with a circulation of approximately 250,000; its first issue included an article about teen sex that did not solely prescribe abstinence, drawing criticism from conservative and evangelical groups—including a boycott by the evangelical women's group Women Aglow—and a resulting loss of advertisers that recurred throughout the magazine's history.

In October 1989, with circulation grown to about 450,000, Yates was asked to step down by shareholders, and Matilda Publications' stake in Sassy was sold to Lang Communications. Mary Kaye Schilling, previously executive editor, became editor-in-chief in 1990 when Jane Pratt left to host a daytime talk show; Christina Kelly succeeded Schilling as editor and remained in the role through the magazine's end. By the time of its next ownership change, circulation had grown to roughly 800,000, though Sassy remained fourth and last among comparable teen titles, trailing Seventeen, 'Teen and YM. Petersen Publishing, which also published 'Teen, acquired Sassy in late 1994, officially taking over with the February–March 1995 issue; editorial offices relocated from New York to Los Angeles, and Petersen replaced the magazine's entire editorial staff and substantially revised its content toward greater emphasis on fashion, beauty and celebrity coverage. Readers responded with subscription cancellations, and the redesigned Sassy failed to build a comparable audience. In October 1996, Petersen announced that Sassy would be merged into its other teen title, 'Teen; the merger took effect with the January 1997 issue, ending Sassy as an independent publication.

Notable works

• 1992Sassy spun off a short-lived companion magazine for teenage boys called Dirt: Son of Sassy, created by writer Mark Lewman, art director Andy Jenkins and photographer Spike Jonze, the latter of whom went on to direct music videos and feature films.

• December 1990Sassy published an issue described as entirely reader-produced content, an approach that anticipated what would later be termed "crowd-sourced" media by more than a decade.

• 1990The magazine's recurring "Sassiest Boy in America" reader search drew more than 150 entries in its 1990 edition and selected Ian Svenonius of the band Nation of Ulysses as its winner.

• April 2007Faber and Faber published "How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time," a history of the magazine by former Teen Vogue editor Kara Jesella and journalist Marisa Meltzer, drawing on interviews with former staff and readers.

Key personnel

• Founder & CEO, Matilda Publications Sandra Yates

• Founding Editor (1988–1990) Jane Pratt

• Editor-in-Chief (1990–early 1990s) Mary Kaye Schilling

• Editor (through 1996 close) Christina Kelly

Audience

Sassy's circulation grew from approximately 250,000 at its March 1988 launch to about 450,000 by October 1989, and roughly 800,000 by the time of its 1994 sale to Petersen Publishing—though it remained the smallest-circulation title among its direct teen-magazine competitors throughout its run.

Location and contact info

Headquarters New York, New York (relocated to Los Angeles under Petersen Publishing, 1995)

Status Defunct — merged into 'Teen magazine beginning with the January 1997 issue

Last Publisher Petersen Publishing Company