Huisgenoot

Huisgenoot
Editor Henriëtte Loubser
Categories Celebrity, human interest, news
Frequency Weekly
First issue May, 1916
Company Media24 (Naspers)
Country South Africa
Language Afrikaans
Website Huisgenoot

Huisgenoot (Afrikaans for House Companion) is a weekly Afrikaans-language general interest family magazine. It has the highest circulation figures of any South African magazine and is followed by sister magazine YOU, its English-language version. A third magazine, Drum, is directed at the black market. The magazines have a combined circulation of about 550 000 copies a week.[1] Henriëtte Loubser is the current editor of Huisgenoot.[2]

It is estimated that more than two million people read Huisgenoot weekly.[3] The magazine also has many brand extensions and a popular concert, Skouspel, was held at Sun City every year until 2014. Some of the best Afrikaans artists are heard and the most popular singers, actors and TV shows of the year are honoured with an award called Tempo.[4] A yearly Skouspel concert is also held in Cape Town.[5] Huisgenoot launched a few successful line extensions in 2010, including recipe and blockbuster titles.

In July 2012, the magazine also launched its first reality television show, in conjunction with the Afrikaans television channel kykNET. The show, titled Saktyd (Deadline),[6] gave viewers insight into what it takes to produce South Africa's biggest magazine on a weekly basis, while challenging 13 new journalists to win the job of a lifetime at the magazine.

The magazine is published by Media24, a subsidiary company of Naspers publishing group. Content includes a mix of real-life drama, glamour, fashion and consumer affairs articles as well as recipes, crossword puzzles, home projects and sport. It has a children's and a teen section and at least one short story a week or a serial.

History

Editor Henriëtte Loubser addresses the crowd during Huisgenoot's 100th birthday party, May 20, 2016.

The magazine was founded as the monthly De Huisgenoot in 1916. The first magazine cost 6d (six pennies or five cents) and consisted of 26 pages. President Paul Kruger was on the cover and the main article was a life sketch on the president. The first advertisement for that issue was by Stuttafords.

There were two reasons behind its founding:

While the cause of Afrikaner nationalism dominated the content of the magazine for decades, the editors of the magazine gradually had to make concessions to popular taste. Covers featuring Afrikaner heroes and politicians were replaced by ones featuring female film stars in the 1950s and 1960s. The Dutch-sounding title De Huisgenoot was changed to the more Afrikaans-sounding Die Huisgenoot and in 1977 the name was further simplified to simply Huisgenoot.

By the late 1970s the culture and mores of the Afrikaner population had begun to diverge from earlier generations, leading to a drastic decline in the magazine's readership and finances. By 1978 the magazine was in serious trouble and a new editor, Niel Hammann, was appointed. He took Huisgenoot in a more populist and profit-driven direction and the popularity and sales of the magazine subsequently surged - from 140,000 to 500,000 magazines per week.

The popularity of Huisgenoot has continued almost unabated since then, making the magazine and its English sister publication YOU the two most successful magazines in South Africa.

Milestones

This entire section sourced from[7]

Digital platforms

Huisgenoot has increased its use of digital platforms including an iPad edition, e-magazine on Zinio, a website, mobi site, iPhone application, Facebook page (with more than 275 000 fans[8][9]), Twitter page, YouTube channel and Mxit.

Interactive content

In 2010, Huisgenoot and sister magazines YOU and DRUM, started using new technology developments. An interactive tool, utilising Microsoft Tag technology, enables readers to watch videos or download wallpaper simply by scanning a picture of a barcode-like tag printed in the magazine. There are various tags at the bottom of pages throughout the magazine.[10]

External links

References

  1. The biggest circulating consumer magazines in SA, marklives.com (accessed 2014/05/20)
  2. Henriëtte Loubser at Who's Who in Southern Africa (accessed 2014/05/20)
  3. Weideman, E. Huisgenoot: 90 Jaar Gedenkuitgawe. Media24, 2006, p. 12-15.
  4. Tempos on Channel24 (accessed 2014/05/20)
  5. Huisgenoot-Skouspel terug op die Kaapse kalender, News24 (accessed 2014/05/20)
  6. KykNET's new reality show Saktyd, Maroela Media (accessed 2014/05/20)
  7. Weideman, E. Huisgenoot: 90 Jaar Gedenkuitgawe. Media24, 2006, p. 12-15.
  8. Huisgenoot se Facebook-gemeenskap nou 200 000 sterk, News24 (accessed 2014/05/20)
  9. Huisgenoot on Facebook (accessed 2014/05/20)
  10. Hofmeister, R. Huisgenoot. Media24, 6 Januarie 2011, p. 5.
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