 1988 cover ofNumber One featuring pop groupBros | |
| Categories | Music, teenage |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Weekly |
| First issue | 7 May 1983 |
| Final issue | February 1992 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Number One, initially rendered asNo. 1, was a British pop magazine. It ran for nine years and was aimed at a mainly teenage market.
The magazine was published weekly and ran from 7 May 1983 to February 1992. It was intended as direct competition toSmash Hits, which was at its peak at the time.[1] AlthoughNo. 1 contained fewer pages and less colour (at a similar price), the magazine claimed "our strength is our weekliness".
One of the most popular aspects was that it published the singles and albums charts every week (obviously not possible for the fortnightlySmash Hits). As the magazine was anIPC publication, it initially used the Top 75 singles & albums from its sister title, theNME. However, in 1985 it started publishing theMRIB (Media Research Information Bureau) Network Chart, as used for Independent Local Radio'sSunday chart show. From October 1990, theCIN (Gallup)Top 75 Chart was used asBBC Magazines took over the publishing of the now re-brandedNumber One fromIPC Magazines and wanted to feature the same chart as was used onRadio 1's Sunday Top 40 show.[2]
WhenNumber One came to an end in 1992, it was incorporated into the BBC'sFast Forward. The magazine's demise went unannounced – the final issue carried details of the features and interviews that would appear in the next issue, but remained unpublished.[citation needed]
As well as the Charts, the magazine included interviews with pop stars of the day as well as centre pin-ups. Songwords to current pop songs were also featured. Other features were Single and album reviews, competitions and a letters page. Columnists were used in the magazine with their own pages. These were sometimes by well known people in the music industry such as producerPete Waterman, DJBruno Brookes or by staff writers who went underpseudonyms.[citation needed]
At the end of each year, the magazine would run a reader's poll of the top pop acts of the year. These would includebest group,best single andmost fanciable pop star among others.[citation needed]
UnlikeSmash Hits,Number One made no secret of the fact the two were in direct competition and would very often refer to said magazine as "Sm*shed Tw*ts" and other less flattering terms. The approach it took to feature writing was more personal, in that the writers would show more of their own character and were not afraid to criticise their interviewees, whereSmash Hits would remain more neutral. In the endSmash Hits won out due to its higher page count and glossier appearance, while remaining at a similar price toNumber One. By early 1990Number One was selling in excess of 130,000 copies per issue, but this paled in comparison toSmash Hits' 780,000 per issue.[2]