''Tiger Beat'' is an American internet
teen
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
fan magazine originally published by The Laufer Company, and marketed primarily to
adolescent girls. The magazine had a paper edition that was sold at stores until December 2018.
History and profile
''Tiger Beat'' was founded in September 1965 by Charles "Chuck" Laufer, his brother Ira Laufer, and television producer and host
Lloyd Thaxton. The magazine features
teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups.
By region Asia
East Asia possess ...
gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important mean ...
and carries articles on
movie
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
s,
music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...
and
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...
. Charles Laufer once described the magazine's content as "guys in their 20s singing 'La La' songs to 13-year-old girls."
A distinctive element of ''Tiger Beat'' is its covers, which feature cut-and-paste
collaged photos – primarily
head shot
A head shot or headshot is a modern (usually digital) portrait in which the focus is on the person. The term is applied usually for professional profile images on social media, images used on online dating profiles, the 'about us page' of a co ...
s – of current teen idols. For the first twelve issues, Thaxton's face appeared at the top corner of the cover (at first the magazine was titled ''Lloyd Thaxton's Tiger Beat''), and he also contributed a column. Post-2016, the magazine started using solo celebrities on their covers to target celeb-obsessed Gen Z-ers.
During the 1960s, The Laufer Company leveraged the
teen
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
market dominated by ''Tiger Beat'' with similar magazines, including ''FaVE'' and ''Monkee Spectacular.'' In 1998, ''Tiger Beat'' was sold by publisher
Sterling/MacFadden to
Primedia
Primedia is a South African media group, headquartered in Sandton, Johannesburg.
History
Primedia was established in 1994 and its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange was completed in April 1995. Primedia remained listed on the JSE until 1 ...
, which sold the magazine to Scott Laufer, Charles's son, in 2003. Until 2014, Laufer also produced the similar teen magazine ''
Bop''. Since 2015 ''Tiger Beat'' has been published by
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
-based Tiger Beat Media, Inc.
In popular culture
Jude Doyle founded the
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
Tiger Beatdown (a punning reference to ''Tiger Beat'') in 2008. It concluded in 2013.
References
External links
*{{official website, http://www.tigerbeat.com
Children's magazines published in the United States
Monthly magazines published in the United States
Celebrity magazines published in the United States
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1965
Magazines disestablished in 2019
Magazines published in California
Teen magazines