ABSTRACT
Service m agazines.. .are more apt to be micro than macro; local as opposed to global; practical and directional; a bit flat-footed at the minimum and bordering on gimmicky when they try too hard. But at their best, they can have tremendous impact: They can change the way readers think or act, alter the way they spend time or money, influence style, eating habits, and travel plans, improve relationships, diminish biases. (1992, p. 78)
Many feature articles are written to provide this type of service to readers. And they do not have to be a service to all readers all of the time. Many are specialized topics that interest a segment of readers. One example is Don Norcross’ recent how-to feature in the San Diego Union-Tribune that gave San Diego Marathon participants tips on how to save running time and how to finish the long race. This is his concise 340-word story:
Nearly 7,000 runners will crowd into the southwest corner of Carlsbad’s Plaza Camino Real on Sunday to run the San Diego Marathon and half marathon. Dan Guillory, head coach of San Diego Fit, a marathon training program, reviews the course and offers advice for runners who might be tackling their first mara thon.
