Session: 1234567891011121314151617         Page 138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202 of 824

Because it was still in the period when magazines were just about disappearing. Then one day I went to Otto Peurbringer[?], who was running the magazine experimental department, and I said: “Otto, why don't we do a magazine called People?” and have a cut at the news through people, rather than straight sort of “last week this and this happened.” And after a while he put together a prospectus, and then everybody said to me, “It's crazy. There are not enough people to do it every issue.” And I said, “You're crazy. There are enough people to make an interesting magazine fifty-two times a year.” So, we went through the exercise, “Who would you be talking about last week, on what subject, and how would that reflect sort of what's going on in the world?” And bit by bit they became convinced that, yes, there were enough people.

We then decided to do something that we'd never done before, which was to actually produced a magazine--well, we produced a dummy for advertisers. We then produced a dummy, a real issue. We tested in--I think it was ten cities, with a promotion, just as if it were a “real” magazine. And Wow! It really sold. So we decided to go ahead with it. And everybody inside the company sneered at it,”

, terrible publication,” “My God, Heiskell's bad taste showing again,” and so on and so forth. The rest is history.

Which brings me back to--I think I'm correct to say that People started in 1974, and we brought LIFE back after that. As a monthly, having had--by then, we must have had--

In 1978, I think, LIFE is brought back.