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Key Magazine Celebrates 40 Years with 71 years of Memories “In 1936 Dallas hosted the Texas Centennial,” Quinn recalls. “Billy Rose, the famous Broadway producer, was hired by Fort Worth to create a stage revue and Frontier Centennial for the city. He named its main stage Casa Mañana, or "house of tomorrow." “He also convinced Fort Worth’s Chamber of Commerce that they needed a local guide to attract part of the enormous tourist traffic headed to Dallas for the Centennial. As I remember, the Chamber began a monthly Fort Worther Magazine, which they published from 1936 through 1939.” The early decades Quinn recalls that the magazine was later managed by several area printers during the 1940s. After the war years, it was published by a regional newspaper chain. “In 1957, the group approached me. I owned a local printing company, and I’d always known the value of a monthly guide for visitors. “After I bought the Fort Worther, I asked several local restaurants and hotels if they’d be willing to support it. Many were very enthusiastic. Several began to advertise immediately.” Information for visitors AND locals “Neal and I started Cross Keys in 1955,” Carvey remembers. “We needed continuous, inexpensive ads to introduce ourselves to visitors, and to remind Fort Worth residents that we wanted their dining business. The Fort Worther’s distribution was right for us.” Cross Keys advertised every month. Later, when they added Fairway Steak House to the Fort Worth community, they took a second monthly ad for that restaurant. Key’s ‘digest’ size? Quinn says the magazine’s small size – about 6” x 9” – became one of its strongest selling points. “We could save on printing costs from this format, and pass those savings on to advertisers. And, the book could be easily carried in a purse or jacket pocket.” Key’s present publisher Keith Powell says that size is still a valuable asset. “The digest size allows our visitors the convenience of carrying the magazine and using its contents throughout their stay.” Unique size, national affiliation Quinn says he sold the magazine to Inez Campbell in the mid-1960s. “Inez renamed the magazine Key in order to affiliate with a nationwide group of Key Magazines, which contributed to its growth.” Powell agrees. “We’re an independent publisher, but we’re affiliated with Key’s national organization. This allows us to collaborate on tourist industry trends and cooperative publishing strategies, and we have established a family like camaraderie. We also employ a national advertising sales representative.” Powell is executive vice president of the national Key Magazine organization. Meetings are held annually in one of the cities across the U.S.A. where a Key Magazine is published. Key has markets in Arizona, Carmel/Monterey, Chicago, Cincinnati, Colorado, Dallas, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Palm Springs, and affiliates in Boston, Florida, Houston, Las Vegas, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Diego. These locations represent 38 individual markets that print 2.1 million magazines every month. Fort Worth Key Magazine’s staff Publisher Keith Powell, who has a degree in Commercial Art from Austin College in Sherman, worked in Dallas for Saunders, Lubinski & White Advertising Agency as a graphic designer and the Horchow Collection as production manager. In Fort Worth, he was a graphic designer at Barr Printing Company. In 1986, he started a freelance graphic design business called Powell Graphics Unlimited and officed with the Blue Moon Graphics group in Dallas. One of his clients was Evelyn Berger, who owned both the Dallas and Fort Worth Key Magazines. Ms. Berger encouraged Powell to buy the Fort Worth Key, which he did in 1995. He published his first issue in April of that year. Realizing Fort Worth Key Magazine needed an Internet presence; he put the magazine on line in July 1996. With that feature, advertisers have both print and electronic exposure for the entire month or longer, depending on the length of the advertiser's agreement. Powell has the support of his family in this venture. Powell's wife Staci serves as financial officer. His father, Alton Dee Powell, who was retiring after 47 years in the wholesale drug business, became vice-president and marketing manager for the magazine when purchase of Key came about. Powell's mother, Foncell F. Powell, a freelance writer with a background in journalism, joined the staff as editor then too. Contributing writers have been Don Patterson, Kay Jones and presently Lauri Arnold. ‘At the front desk’ Citing the importance of his connection with guest services, Powell personally delivers over 10,000 copies of Fort Worth Key Magazine to 200-plus separate locations every month. That includes hotels, motels, tourist sites, museums, visitor information centers, and convention and visitors’ bureaus. “When a visitor goes to a hotel check-in, or to the concierge desk, he’ll most likely find a Key Magazine there,” says Powell. KEY regularly reminds city visitors about popular sites like Fort Worth's Cultural District, the National Historic District Fort Worth Stockyards, and Sundance Square. 5 reasons visitors need a monthly Key 1. Each issue contains a comprehensive event calendar, telling guests what’s happening in Fort Worth, Arlington, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, North Richland Hills, Granbury, and Glen Rose. 2. Seven pages of easy-to-read maps “have been customized for easy navigation, highlighting major areas such as our Cultural District, Downtown, and the Historic Stockyards. Guest services absolutely love our maps," Powell says. 3. “Most guide books are adequate,” Powell adds, “but many aren’t current. Ours is updated every month.” 4. “We’re circulated in the places where visitors stay,” Powell says, noting that the magazines are distributed to an astounding 140 area hotels and motels and over 60 additional miscellaneous points. 5. With Fort Worth Key’s Internet presence, advertisers have both print and electronic exposure for the entire month or longer, depending on the length of the advertiser’s agreement. "Key is celebrating its 40th year as Fort Worth’s best visitor’s guide,” Powell concludes. “And we are committed to publishing a quality magazine for our guests so that Fort Worth and the other cities we represent will be proud to distribute Fort Worth Key.” References: Delores Santos, Fort Worth Botanic Garden Clara Ruddell, Cultural District Visitors Information Center Janice Stokes, Concierge, Renaissance Worthington Hotel Sandy Berry, Corporate Concierge Current
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Key Magazine celebrates its 40th birthday this year. But 95-year-old publisher and author Bill Quinn says the first issue of a Fort Worth visitors’ guide went to press long before that.
One of those was Frank Carvey who – along with Neal Hospers -- co-owned Cross Keys. The restaurant, housed in a 19th century mansion on 8th Avenue, was famous for outstanding steaks and a great venue for private parties.