ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160008
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: YONKERS, N.Y.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Consumer Reports magazine has a solid reputation among readers who turn to it for advice on buying everything from baby food to stereo speakers to cars.
But the magazine had a rocky start 60 years ago.
Consumer Reports was the offshoot of Consumers' Research Bulletin, a magazine formed in the late 1920s and devoted to testing products for the benefit of consumers. In 1935, three Consumers' Research employees formed a union and were fired by founder Frederick Schlink. The same year, 40 Consumers' Research workers struck, and in February 1936, they formed Consumers Union.
The first issue of what was then called Consumers Union Reports had 24 pages, with the results of tests on stockings (S.S. Kresge's Fine Hosiery had ``the unpleasant feeling that their stockings were always coming down''), breakfast cereal, soap and toothbrushes. The magazine also looked at whether high-octane gas and Grade A milk were worth their premium prices.
It was aimed at union members - pages 20 and 21 contain an article on whether manufacturers are unfair to labor, and a list of products made by companies that were the target of unfair labor charges by unions.
CU's beginnings and ties to labor made it the target of charges that it was communist. The accusations continued from the '30s into the '50s. In 1954, the same year Sen. Joseph McCarthy was censured for his anti-communist crusade, CU was dropped from the list of subversive organizations maintained by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
In 1942, the magazine changed its name to Consumer Reports to make clear to readers it was targeting all consumers, not just union members. The rise in consumerism among youngsters led to the creation of Zillions, a Consumer Reports for children. The April-May issue reviews high-tech sneakers and potato chips, among other products.
Consumers Union provides services beyond the magazine and books that it publishes. It also has phone numbers consumers can call for auto pricing information. Changing technology has also changed the magazine. Some Consumer Reports articles are available online. The magazine brought out a CD-ROM to mark its 60th birthday - and found itself the subject of a libel suit that grew out of one of its most notorious articles. In 1988 Consumer Reports gave the Suzuki Samurai a ``not acceptable'' rating, saying the car tended to roll over on some turns.
Suzuki sued Consumers Union of mishandling a road test and ignoring evidence that the cars, which are no longer being sold in the United States, were safe.
Consumers Union responded to the report by saying it stood by its findings on the Suzuki.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB