I had a subscription to Ironman Magazine from 1988 until 1991. It was a pretty solid place to get training advice. They outlined workouts that produced results without using steroids. There were helpful articles in that magazine that didn't mention a supplement at all.
In the early 90's, magazines began having more ads than content
When fitness magazines were at their peak, they cashed out in a big way. Instead of having ads and articles separate...they combined them as one.
These ads became 3-4 pages and were disguised as articles at first. The line between ads and articles were blurred.
In addition to that, many of these magazine and supplement companies formed one larger conglomerate. The money was flowing in like clockwork.
These mega-companies continued to flourish in the "Internet Age"In the first 10-12 years of the Internet's existence, companies with deep pockets still held the power to influence the masses. It was smooth sailing for these guys until 2004...