William Bernard Ziff Sr. was an aviator in World War I who turned a Chicago advertising agency into the largest aviation magazine in the United States by 1929. In August 1927, he launched Popular Aviation, a publication that quickly grew to a circulation of 100,000 copies, making it the most widely read air publication of its time. The magazine featured painted covers by artist Stewart Rouse and was edited by Harley W. Mitchell, a man described as equally airwise as the famous General Mitchell. Ziff's background as a pilot gave him a unique perspective on the hobbyist market, allowing him to create content that resonated deeply with the growing community of aviation enthusiasts. The magazine underwent several name changes, becoming Aeronautics in June 1929 before reverting to Popular Aviation in July 1930, and eventually evolving into Flying, which continues to be published today by Firecrown. This early success laid the foundation for what would become a media empire, proving that Ziff had an instinct for identifying and nurturing niche interests before they became mainstream.
The Humor and Fiction Empire
Bernard George Davis, who joined Ziff in 1927 as the editor of America's Humor, brought a different kind of creativity to the partnership. A student editor of the University of Pittsburgh's humor magazine, the Pitt Panther, Davis had attended the Association of College Comics of the East convention, where he met Ziff. Their collaboration led to the acquisition of Radio News and Amazing Stories in 1938, magazines that had been started by Hugo Gernsback but had declined following the Experimenter Publishing bankruptcy in 1929. Ziff-Davis revitalized these titles, with Radio News continuing until 1972 and Amazing Stories becoming a leading science fiction magazine. The company also published Fantastic Adventures, which merged into Fantastic in 1954, and ventured into comic books during the early 1950s under the names Ziff-Davis and Approved Comics. Notable creators like Jerry Siegel, the co-creator of Superman, served as art director for the comics line, while others such as John Buscema and Sid Greene contributed to the company's diverse portfolio. By 1953, the company had mostly abandoned comics, selling popular titles like Cinderella Love and Wild Boy of the Congo to St. John Publications, but continued to publish G.I. Joe until 1957, producing a total of 51 issues.The Enthusiast Magazine Dynasty
After William B. Ziff Sr. died in 1953, his son William B. Ziff Jr. returned from Germany to lead the company, transforming it into a powerhouse of enthusiast magazines. A polymath with a photographic memory, Ziff Jr. purchased titles like Car and Driver and tailored content for enthusiasts and brand specifiers, attracting advertising revenue that general-interest publications were losing. In 1958, the company began publishing HiFi and Music Review, which evolved into Stereo Review, and became a prolific publisher of photography and boating magazines. The company also launched Modern Bride, and after selling Fantastic and Amazing in 1965, editor Cele Goldsmith Lalli became a notable and influential figure in the bridal magazine field. During the 1970s and 1980s, Ziff-Davis capitalized on the rapidly expanding interest in electronics and computing, with titles such as PC Magazine, Popular Electronics, and Computer Shopper making it the leading technology magazine business. This strategy of focusing on niche markets allowed the company to thrive even as other publications struggled, setting the stage for its eventual dominance in the digital age.