JW's now have the January Awake! in hand. Notice that there is no specific date, for the Awake! is now to be published once monthly.
Take a closer look at the content of this revised format.
First off, the cover has added promotion, for the first time highlighting a secondary article. Maybe the PR department has finally realised what commercial publishing has practiced for 60 years.
Opening to the inside page (3) we are greeted with a special article:
To Our Readers
BEGINNING with this issue, the format of Awake! will reflect some changes. Although certain things will be different, much will remain the same.
Awake! is still committed to the objective that it has held for many decades. As explained on page 4, "this journal is published for the enlightenment of the entire family." Examining world events, telling about people in various cultures, describing the wonders of creation, discussing health, or explaining science for the nonscientist, Awake! will continue to inform our readers, keeping them alert to the world around us.
In its issue of August 22, 1946, Awake! pledged: "Integrity to the truth will be the highest aim of this magazine." True to that promise, Awake! has always endeavored to publish factual information. To that end, articles are thoroughly researched and carefully checked to ensure accuracy. But this journal has demonstrated "integrity to the truth" in an even more important way.
Awake! has always pointed readers to the Bible. However, beginning with this issue, Awake! will feature even more Bible-based articles than in the past. (John 17:17) Awake! will also continue to feature articles that show how the Bible's practical counsel can help us to live meaningful and successful lives today. For example, much Bible-based guidance is provided in the series "Young People Ask ..." and "The Bible's Viewpoint," which will remain regular features of this journal. In addition, Awake! will continue to direct readers to the Bible's promise of the peaceful new world that will soon replace the present lawless system of things. -Revelation 21:3, 4.
Blurb on page 3: Called the "Golden Age" in 1919, the name was changed to "Consolation" in 1937, and to "Awake!" in 1946.
What else will be different? Beginning with this issue, Awake! will be published monthly in most of the 82 languages in which it appears (formerly it was published semimonthly in many languages).* (Footnote: * Awake!, is published quarterly in sane languages, and the features discussed in this article may not appear in all such editions.) "Watching the World," which has been a regular feature since 1946, will still appear in each issue but will be reduced from two pages to one. On page 31, we are also introducing an exciting new regular feature called "How Would You Answer?" What will it contain, and how can you use it?
Blurb on page 4: "Awake!" has long pointed its readers to the Bible
Take a moment to look at page 31 of this issue. Some sections of the page will appeal to young readers; others will challenge the memory of more advanced Bible students. The section "When in History?" will help you build a time line showing when Bible characters lived and when major events happened. While the answers to the section "From This Issue" will be found throughout the magazine, the answers to most of the other questions will appear on a designated page in the same issue, where they will be printed upside down. Why not do some research before you read those answers and then share with others what you learn? You might even use this new feature, "How Would You Answer?" as a basis for family or group Bible discussions.
Some 60 years ago, Awake! made this promise: "As for coverage this magazine will endeavor to treat information from a world-wide rather than local viewpoint. It will appeal to all honest people of all lands. ... The material and contents of the magazine ... will be informative, educational and interesting to the greatest number of persons, young and old alike." Readers from all over the world agree that Awake! has kept that promise. We assure you that it will continue to do so.
The Publishers
The Awake! statement (page 2) is unchanged:
THIS JOURNAL IS PUBLISHED for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today's problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.
More Bible based content, eh? After the generic apocalypism of the cover articles (all the favorite scriptures are cited: Daniel 2:44, Revelation 21:3,4, Matthew 6:9,10) we see...
- YPA: Why Do I Hurt Myself? -4 scriptures
- Mold, Friend and Foe! -1 scripture
- Off They Go! (geese) -2 scriptures
Finally we come to
- The Bible's Viewpoint: Why Look to the Bible for Guidance? a "reader's digest" version (2 pages) for non-Christains that crams in 23 scriptural references.
Next the newly abbreviated
- Watching the World with no less than 4 brief articles and 4 blurb quotes from other magazines. I guess news is hard to come by.
And a bio piece
- Michael Agricola: A "Man of the Dawn" -no scriptures
A one-pager
- Your Marvelous Red Blood Cells -1 scripture
Personal experience
- Sustained by Faith: Living with ALS -6 scriptures
Any critical comments will not be published in
- From Our Readers
And finally a highly visual, if banal
So you be the judge. 55 scriptures total on 32 pages, an average of 1.7 Bible references per page.
Greater focus on Bible-based topics, or mere spin to cover reduced production?