Short answers, pulled from the story.
PlayStation: The Official Magazine (PTOM) was a US print magazine covering Sony PlayStation consoles and handhelds. It began in September 1997 as the independent PSM: 100% Independent PlayStation Magazine before rebranding as PTOM with its Christmas 2007 issue following a Sony announcement on the 1st of October 2007.
PTOM ceased publication with its Christmas 2012 issue after 15 years of printing. Future plc, its publisher, attributed the closure to the same industry pressures that had already ended other video game magazines it published, most prominently Nintendo Power.
The magazine ran for 15 years in total, 10 as the independent PSM and 5 as PlayStation: The Official Magazine. It published 13 issues per year under the PTOM title.
Banzai Chibi-Chan was created and illustrated by Robert DeJesus. The anime-style mascot appeared in early PSM issues and inspired branded apparel and accessories before being dropped because editors felt the character gave the wrong impression about the magazine's intended audience.
Lid-stickers were large, circular stickers bundled as inserts with PSM issues, designed to be placed decoratively on the lid of a PlayStation console. Some featured characters from games covered in that issue; the first issue of PSM included one. The magazine also offered memory card label stickers and game tip sheets as inserts, rather than the demo discs its rival Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine was known for providing.
Qore was a subscription-based interactive online magazine for the PlayStation 3 available through the PlayStation Store. From the July 2008 issue through the June 2009 issue, PTOM bundled promotional codes for free Qore downloads, though the promotional editions excluded certain paid features such as playable demos.