MS. MAGAZINE, 1972-

Ms. is a national monthly magazine, published and written by women to provide a forum for women and women's issues in the United States and internationally. Created in 1971 by Gloria Steinem (1934- ) and fellow journalists, activists, and feminists, Ms. survived disputes over content and financing, as well as several changes in ownership. The magazine covers the women's movement and women's issues, and includes poetry, fiction, non-sexist children's fiction, a readers' letters column, and a "No Comment" column on sexist journalism and advertising.

The following provides a brief history of Ms. :

• 1969: Gloria Steinem reports for New York Magazine and becomes an advocate for women's rights after covering an abortion rights rally in New York City.
• 1970 - 1971 : Steinem talks with New York writers and activists about starting a women's newsletter. Steinem and Brenda Feigen Fasteau (ca.1945- ) establish the Women's Action Alliance. The group connects women to one another, to women's movement information and activities, and provides Steinem with further evidence of the need for a women's publication.
• 1971: Steinem and co-founders Elizabeth Forsling Harris (1922-1999) and Patricia Carbine (1931- ) establish Majority Enterprises, the original parent company of Ms. Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham (1917-2001) contributes $20,000 in seed money to help start Ms. New York Magazine editor Clay Felker (1925-2008) publishes a forty-page Ms. insert in his December double issue. Letty Cottin Pogrebin (1939- ) becomes Ms. founding editor along with Gloria Steinem.
• 1972: Clay Felker helps to publish another full-length preview issue of Ms. in the spring. It sells 300,000 copies, and reader response is heavy. Warner Communications invests $1 million in Ms., but agrees to accept only twenty-five percent of the magazine's stock, allowing Ms. to remain woman-controlled and managed. Majority Enterprises publishes the first regular issue in July.
• 1973 - 1982 : Ms. operates successfully and receives an increasing number of letters to the editor. Many of these letters praise the magazine but also criticize sexist advertisements that appear in it. Ms. publishes its ten-year anniversary issue in July/August 1982.
• 1983 - 1986 : Ms. maintains a steady readership but readers increasingly criticize the magazine for becoming too traditional and continuing to include sexist advertising.
• 1987 July - August 1987 : Ms. celebrates its 15th anniversary as it seeks to expand advertising and raise circulation from 450,000. Efforts to raise capital include an offer of 49% interest to potential investors.
• 1987 September - October 1987 : Escalating debts force Ms. founders to sell the magazine.
• 1987 November - December 1987 : Australia Commonwealth of Australia New Zealand. New Zealand Ms. is sold to Fairfax (U.S.) Ltd., a subsidiary of John Fairfax Holdings, an international media company with offices in Australia and New Zealand.Sandra Yates is appointed president and publisher of Fairfax (U.S.) Ltd. and Anne Summers becomes the new editor-in-chief.
• 1988 January - February 1988 : To attract advertisers and reach a projected circulation goal of 650,000, Yates and Summers replace the magazine's image with a more commercial format and place greater emphasis on celebrity profiles, fashion and beauty.
• 1988 ca. April - May 1988 : Fairfax launches Sassy, a magazine targeted for teenagers.
• 1988 ca. June - July 1988 : Impacted by the stock market crash of 1987 and internal family issues, Fairfax (U.S.) Ltd. begins negotiations for the sale of Ms. and Sassy.
• 1988 August - September 1988 : Aided by financial backing from the State Bank of New South Wales and Citibank Venture Capital Fund,Sandra Yates and Anne Summers negotiate a successful management buy-out of Ms. As partners they form Matilda Publications Inc. and continue publication of Ms.
• 1989 July - August 1989 : Major companies withdraw advertisements after Ms. publishes a controversial issue declaring war on the Reagan administration for its attempt to overturn women's reproductive rights.
• 1989 September - October 1989 : Advertisement sales continue to decline and Sandra Yates is forced to resign after advertisers are boycotted by Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority for the sexual content of articles in Sassy. Cumulative losses result in the sale of Ms. and Sassy.
• 1989 November - December 1989 : Publication is temporarily suspended as Lang Communications becomes the new owner of Ms. and Sassy. Readers complain about the lack of formal notification.
• 1990: Publication of Ms. resumes. For the first time in its history the magazine is advertisement free but readers pay a higher cost. Robin Morgan serves as the new editor-in-chief.
• 1993: Marcia Gillespie assumes the role of editor-in-chief.
• 1994: Sassy is sold to Petersen Publishing Company but Lang Communications retains Ms. and its other publications Working Women and Working Mother.
• 1996: Ms. is purchased by MacDonald Communications. Editors and staff retain control over the magazine's editorial content but lose financial autonomy.
• 1998 - 2001 : Eleanor Smeal, activist and president of the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), Gloria Steinem,Marcia Gillespie, and others form Liberty Media for Women and purchase Ms. from MacDonald Communications. FMF remains the sole publisher of Ms. Magazine, an advertisement-free publication

From the guide to the Letters, 1972-1980, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)