In Conclusion - ABSOLUTE POWER 21/09/97

Much has been made of our supposed similarity, both in appearance and irreverent content, to that of erstwhile maelstrom of Amiga truth, Amiga Power - the once vibrant, now dead, British Amiga games magazine of champions. And to a lesser extent, Your Sinclair (except we don't remember ever dressing up as pixies to be photographed in semi-amusing poses. Or giving away badges featuring dubious motifs. But anyway).

REVELATIONS IN SHOCK

But wait. What if we were to subtly hint that everything that Amiga Power were ever accredited with devising was actually swiped verbatim from a low-profile American publication of the early 1950s? And what if we could prove it? (Eh?) Or are we bored of that joke? Or are we bored of that joke now?

THE HISTORY

Back in the late 1940's the US Pastry Products Council was hastily cobbled together by the then US Government, ostensibly to aid and assist the grocers and bakeries that existed to vend rather than produce bread products such as bread, cakes and, er, other bread related products. With the effects of the war still hanging heavy in the minds of many American consumers, the PPC decided it would issue an advisory news-sheet to be distributed monthly to both bakeries and stores across the States. This would recommend the most worthy products to stock. It was agreed that the best way to achieve this would be by means of a reviewing process. And some strategically positioned payolaesque propaganda segued in for good measure.

The first such news-sheet was issued in 1948. Its tone was authoritative, in line with the Government's "Condescendment Amendment" policy of the day. To lend an air of professionality, journalists and writers experienced in the field of pastry and dough-related produce were employed, each given their own regular columns and features for which they were responsible. Early examples of which included the Bread Newsline and the satirical Pastry Kid In Pictures comic strip which ran for the first 22 issues.

THE GOLDEN AGE

Until Issue 13, the news-sheet was issued without a registered name. However, as demand grew, by early 1950 the sheet had reached a circulation of over 10,000 and its size had increased to over 20 pages. When Issue 13 (officially, Vol. 2 No. 2) came back from the printers, it was apparant that much had changed. In place of the long-winded "Approved Bread Products as Recommended by the US Pastry Products Council for Week 6-10" was a striking logo. Bakers' Newsweek, it read. And yes, the enevitable had happened. What had began as a humble two-sided Legal-sized sheet had become a whopping great, now weekly, concern.

And so it went on. BN, still only an internal magazine, was turned to time after time by confused and unsure grocers and bakers and was now being read by the entire bread industry in the USA. Extending its coverage to cookies in Issue 42 and Ethnic and Continental Produce in Issue 50 (amid a storm of protest), BN was covering more and more ground. But something strange was happening. Features of longstanding disappeared overnight, trusted writers left to persue and continue careers with newspapers and magazines. By Issue 56, BN was clearly in serious trouble.

With just 3 of its original 19 staff left at BN's tiny office in St. Newtown, Brooklyn, Matthew Bruton, its editor from conception announced his resignation citing "incompatible methodology" as the reason. Issue 58 was to be the last he worked on, replaced by Jonathan Annis, joining from KCBS Radio's Newsroom where he had worked compiling news reports with special responsibilities for food. However, by now, most of America were settling back into regular everyday life. Food was becoming more and more readily available - a fact that BN had itself promoted (Its "Bake Your Own" feature which ran twix Issues 31-39 having proved immensely popular) and the demand for BN was, slowly but surely falling each week. This was combatted initially with the introduction of the BN SnackPack, a free trial-sized sample of that issue's BN Ribbon of Excellence winner.

IN THE PUBLIC EYE

BN's popularity looked set to rise again by Issue 71. It scooped the exclusive on the world's first commercially available sliced loaf, this headlining report is exemplary, illustrating the ailing newspaper's now capricious approach. Humour was being introduced for the first time with new regular columns Ho Ho Dough, The Leaventh Hour and Take A Bake all launched within just a few issues. But circulation of the magazine was falling fast with fewer and fewer advertisers interested in booking space and a record low active readership.

Examine this commercial allocated for publication in Issue 102. Upon seeking validation from the AAPSC (Advertisment and Promotions Standards Council), a standard practice before the publication of each issue, the AAPSC advised that the advertisment should not be placed as investigations revealed it to be dishonest. This delayed publication of Issue 102 by four days leading to rumours of myopic proportions, surrounding the newspaper's premature closure. Not so.

JUST SEVENTEEN

In Issue 119, BN documented the new Lemon Loaf from New York conglomorate United Seventeen Affiliates. Reporting on its "poor texture, dry consistency and overall lack of taste", BN landed themselves in hot water with the result being a boycott by U17A and a subsequent legal case, famously lost by BN.

In Issue 130 it was announced that the first of a regular annual convention (later conference) was to be held to discuss and sample the latest produce. However, this couldn't compete with similar events organised by the larger concerns and corporations and so failed. Other publicity seeking events and ploys were tried, the irreverent competitions were once such example. The front cover illustration of a horse being disembowled were quite another.

THE BITTER END

Issue 190, from August 1953, was to be the last. The 8-strong team learned of the news as the issue went to press. Editor Jonathan Annis commented, "BN has made a phenomenal contribution. Although the collective team's tasks (at BN) have been completed. So that's okay then."

Compiled with thanks to Media Resource, IL and Chronologic. Images supplied by Nonex Instant.

Or are we lying? Mark Wright