Old is new at Saturday Evening Post

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Saturday Evening Post, a centuries-old publication that helped make illustrator Norman Rockwell a household name and showcased some of America's greatest writers, is returning to its roots to show readers the value of a quiet read in an increasingly frenetic digital age.

A redesign launching with its July/August issue combines the Post's hallmarks — art and fiction — with folksy commentary and health articles.

“There is a void of magazines now that do emphasize art and creative writing and fiction,” Publisher Joan SerVaas said.

But industry experts say the Post risks alienating its core readers while trying to buck a decadeslong shift away from general-interest magazines.

“The Saturday Evening Post is no longer my father's magazine; it's my grandfather's magazine,” said Samir A. Husni, director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi.

Although the Post is making concessions to the digital age, through weekly updates to its Web site and a profile on the social-networking site Facebook, Husni said those efforts could shatter the habits of longtime readers without necessarily drawing new ones.

The magazine, whose circulation peaked at 6 million in 1960, now has 350,000 readers.