ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the collaboration between the producers of print materials and researchers have created print media with their own unique characteristics. Print media includes three magazines, Sesame Street Magazine, Sesame Street Parents, and Padres de Sesame Street, as well as a range of books for children. The Magazine Research Department was formed to serve the growing research needs of the Magazine Group. The child, building familiarity with the magazine, begins to develop an understanding of the conventions of print, such as matching picture and text, labeling key words, captioning, sequencing, and learning words by sound as well as sight. Formative research conducted in support of Sesame Street Magazine involved investigating four basic areas: the editorial content for appeal and comprehension, the structure and format of the magazine, literacy skills in early childhood, and subscriber information. Together, these complementary streams of information help the CTW Magazine Group better understand the readers and the demographics of the audience.
