The launch of a ‘Tea Party’ magazine is a statement that this grassroots movement intends to stay.
Editor Steven Allen, said the purpose of the magazine “is just to provide a forum for people in the Tea Party movement to work out ideas, to debate and discuss the issues and to work out strategy,” Allen said. “It’s to just really establish the Tea Party movement as a permanent movement in American politics and culture.”
The magazine, Tea Party Review, launched Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC, the nation’s largest annual gathering of conservatives.
Not to mention, The Tea Party Review website, teapartyreview.com, launched the same week as the publication. The website will basically be a repository of articles from printed version of the magazine, but will also feature additional multimedia elements, such as videos and pictures.
A group of conservatives, though much smaller, is what led to the inception of a magazine “for, by, and about the Tea Party,” as it is self-described in the inaugural edition.
“Last summer, somebody asked me what’s not being done for the Tea Party,” Allen said. “The answer kept coming back, ‘you need something in print’.”
William Owens, who is now the magazine’s Vice President of Strategic Development, had the same thought. Allen and Owens met and the development process of the magazine commenced. After half a year, the first issue was fit to be launched.
During CPAC, Tea Party Review generated a swift jump in year-long subscriptions, which cost $34.95.
A press release was sent out Tuesday and, at that time, there were approximately 65 subscriptions placed. Four days later, the number of subscriptions exceeded 1300.
Owens presented this information during a meet-and-greet with the Tea Party Review staff on Saturday.
The meet-and-greet was a rare gathering at the conservative conference, as it did not offer alcohol, featured “live Christian jazz music,” of which Owens played the congas, and had an invocation at its opening.
One attendee, Jim Hollingsworth of the Tea Party of Mississippi, said the main reason he was at CPAC was to get contacts, but he will likely subscribe to Tea Party Review “as long as it’s truthful information.”
An affiliate program was discussed during the meet-and-greet. This program is a way that Tea Party or Conservative groups can raise money by promoting the magazine. The groups will earn 35% on each subscription that they acquire by promoting the publication on their websites.
There is also an opportunity to become a Founder Affiliate. A minimum investment is required.
The affiliate manager, Ann Holiday, has been in Affiliate marketing for twelve years. She said, “with this, it’s different, because everyone who is signing up is interested in the cause.”
When asked whether or not there is a worry that the publication will cease if the movement fizzles out, Selena Owens, wife of William and contributing writer to the publication said, “We don’t think about that really. This is America. I think as long as America stays, we’ll have a voice.”
