D Magazine was founded in 1974 by two University of Texas graduates, Wick Allison and Jim Atkinson. Both had a vision of giving Dallas an independent city magazine with an impact that would serve readers’ interests. They developed their concept after-hours while Allison, a Dallas native, attended graduate school at Southern Methodist University and Atkinson reported on ’s daily Newsroom program. Their vision was backed financially by young Dallas business people who shared their belief in the need for a strong city magazine. The magazine received an early boost from Neiman Marcus founder Stanley Marcus, who sent a letter to 200,000 Neiman Marcus cardholders in the Dallas area, urging them to subscribe to the new magazine. It is a member of the City and Regional Magazine Association. The magazine was not well received by everyone. In 1975 then-mayor Wes Wisesued the magazine for libel. That same year the Dallas Restaurant Association sent a letter to its members urging an advertising boycott of the magazine because of its critical dining reviews. In 1990, American Express purchased the magazine, but the new ownership was not successful. In 1996, original founder Wick Allison repurchased the magazine with a group of investors, and in 2003 became the sole owner. The editors and staff writers of D also publish FrontBurner, a blog about things relating to Dallas. In 2000, Allison launched a sister magazine, D Home, for the home furnishings industry, and in 2003 a magazine for local brides called D Weddings. By 2007 there were five more magazines under the D brand, serving various communities of interest, as well as nine associated community weeklies serving affluent neighborhoods in Dallas. In 2008, D Magazinelaid off 19% of its staff and closed three of its newspapers due to shrinking revenue from advertising. The magazine laid off an additional 12% of its staff in 2009. D magazine is again part of the lifeblood of Dallas. Circulation has soared some 500 percent since 1996, and D has become one of the best-selling magazines per capita in the United States on local newsstands. The reason for its success is its devotion to editorial quality. Each monthly issue is a tour of the local cosmos: art, culture, politics, dining, personalities, media, business, fashion, and style, presented in intelligent, witty storytelling and powerful photography. D is a member of the original generation of city magazines: New York Magazine, Washingtonian, Philadelphia Magazine, Boston, and Chicago, which combined new journalism and pithy reader service to form a sophisticated local genre. These magazines, which today are powerful brands in their own cities, have thrived throughout decades of media reinvention. D Magazine Partners also publishes ,', Dallas/Fort Worth Medical Directory, ', Private School Handbook, and , a daily resource for best restaurants in Dallas, recommendations for things to do, local news, and commentary on life in Dallas.
