by The Editors on February 18, 2009
In a letter to friends and family Ross Garrett, the former group publisher and president of media at Airborne Media LLC, says that while he is still a partner at Airbourne, he has accepted a new job.
I’m excited to let you know I have accepted a position as Director of Operations and Development for Journal Concepts Incorporated, the parent company of The Surfer’s Journal. While I remain a partner at Airborne Media LLC and have a vested interest in Foam Magazine and Airborne’s other properties, I will be day-to-day with Steve and Debbee Pezman at the business they built in San Clemente, Ca. My mission at Journal Concepts is to grow the platform, improve the efficiency of the current operations, and grow The Surfer’s Journal itself. How that unfolds tactically, is something I will sort out with Steve and Debbee in the coming months.
Congratulations, Ross. Follow the jump for the official press release.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on February 13, 2009
After all our blather about how much we hate print magazines that are reproduced online as “digital editions” a friend pointed out that compelling content can be done with a similar concept and that Slap Magazine has been doing it for a while now. Check out the Tyler Bledsoe interview for a little reminder.
The full-size animated sequences, .MP3 audio clips, and smooth page changing navigation system make all the difference in the world. It’s a solution that saves most of what is great about the contextual elements of traditional magazine layout while giving it digital life in a way that retains non-linear accessibility. And, aside from the Flash bits it even works okay on an iPhone.
[Link: Slap Magazine via Etnies]
by The Editors on February 11, 2009
No one in skateboarding “entertains” the media better than Sole Technology, Inc. For the past three days (February 8-10, 2009) they’ve hosted representatives of the world skateboard media at owner Pierre André’s loft, yacht, offices, and private TF.
From the look of the photos and stories on ESPN, The Skateboard Mag, Skateboarder, and Skate Park of Tampa everyone bought in pretty hard to the. . . well, lets call it “gesture of friendship” from the skateboard shoe manufacturer.
Free beer, free smokes, and and a couple “models” still goes a very long way toward, ah, let’s just say “good times.”
[Link: és footwear]
by The Editors on February 11, 2009
Not to be outdone by Quiksilver Skate, Rip Curl shows how much they still believe in the magazine as metaphor by creating Ripcurrents digital magazine: a magazine that is literally on your computer screen with pages that actually turn when you click on them, you know like a paper magazine only on your computer with music that will drive you crazy and that retro sound of crisp pages turning through salty air.
There is even a shadow in the middle of every spread to screw up the photos just like in a real magazine. . . did we mention how much we hate these things?
[Link: Rip Curl Currents via Global Surf News]
by The Editors on February 11, 2009
We had to laugh today when our new Mike Valleley copy of Skatebook arrived (in time to get signed). The thoughtful warehouse guys had protected the new issue from damage at the hands of the US Postal Service by packing it in a layer of wadded up pages torn from the latest issue of The Skateboard Mag. There’s a message in every medium, apparently.
by The Editors on February 11, 2009
From the “we hate turning pages online” files comes Quiksilver’s latest online misfire: Roam ‘Zine 1.
With all the cool (or mudane) things that can be done online it seems almost sad that Quik skate would build a ‘zine by hand, scan it, and then put it up online in a format that is difficult to navigate, hard to read, and kind of pointless.
The video and audio were cool, but having to hunt for it was silly. Then again, maybe they were going for that retro, early 90s online thing. If they were, they nailed it (just like RipCurl did).
[Link: Roam #1 via The Skateboard Mag]
by The Editors on February 11, 2009
We’ve been meaning to mention this for a while, but never ended up posting anything. For the past year we’ve been keeping up on the international competition shred scenes with the Shralp! podcast on our Apple TV.
Every two weeks Shralp collects video from the best snowboard events around the world, VO’s them up with a euro-english accent, and pushes out a podcast in every format known to video. The clips are super timely, well edited and smooth.
Shralp is created by Christian “mee-z” Miessner with help from Boris Bendek (David’s brother) and Quirin Rohleder and has been rolling since 2005. Don’t ask us why it took us so long to mention it, but now we have. The best way is to subscribe via iTunes.
[Link: Shralp.com]
by The Editors on February 10, 2009
Source Interlink (the parent company of the ASG Group) has decided that if the magazine companies aren’t going to pay the 7 cent per copy increase, then there is a conspiracy against them, according to a story on Folio.com.
Source Interlink filed a lawsuit on Monday claiming rival wholesalers, as well as publishers, are attempting to force the company out of business. . . . The suit, filed in New York federal court, seeks emergency court intervention to prohibit the defendants—including publishers Time Inc. and Hachette—from monopolizing the U.S. magazine wholesaler market, a Reuters news report said. In the suit, Source alleges that the defendants “conspired” to force the company to sell its distribution business at a steep discount to rivals Hudson News and News Group.
Questions: what does this mean for Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, and Skateboarder? If the distribution business is sold, then who will distribute the Source Interlink magazine titles? Or will those be sold, too?
[Link: Folio]
by The Editors on February 9, 2009
Looks like getting printed action sports magazines that last mile to the newsstand is going to get a little harder now that Anderson News has “suspended normal business activities,” according to a story on Folio.com.
The decision comes roughly three weeks after the Knoxville, Tennessee-based Anderson, along with fellow wholesaler Source Interlink, threatened publishers with separate 7-cents-per-copy price hikes. . . . Publishers largely balked at the 7-cents-per-copy surcharge and refused to pay, upset at the wholesalers’ sudden and “unilateral” decision to boost costs. . . . In a statement announcing the suspension, the company said it will “continue to hold discussions with publishers and retailers, trying to develop a viable model that allows it to remain in business.” Anderson said the situation is “a mess for us all.”
No doubt.
[Link: Folio]
by The Editors on February 9, 2009
Disney is churning out its first “original novel” based on the hit TV show Hannah Montana. The 247-page hardcover book is titled Rock the Waves and features Miley longing for a “hunky” Australian surfer.
The Breakpoint Surf Series is coming to Malibu which, of course, means the appearance of its top star, hunky Talen Wright. Before Miley can convey her daydream of meeting the Australian surfer, it becomes a potential reality with the announcement that Hannah Montana has been asked to perform at a big concert at the end of the two-week contest.
The little girls always go for the Aussies. . .
[Link: The Trades]
In a letter to friends and family Ross Garrett, the former group publisher and president of media at Airborne Media LLC, says that while he is still a partner at Airbourne, he has accepted a new job.
