From our “there will never be a worse time to launch” files comes news that long-time surf industry soldier (and former Longboard Magazine sales lead) Mike Aguirre has launched a “new, fresh, now” surf magazine called morSURF.
“There are still lots of people who like to read stories and in-depth articles and who enjoy the quality of photography in print,” said Aguirre. “But for those surfers who want their information digitally, keeping the magazine viewable online is good PR and is also great for our advertisers because their links are active. We believe morSURF’s online presence will ultimately lead to increased sales and subscriptions of the printed publication.”
Spoken like a true print salesman. For those who love longboards, fish, hybrids, standup paddling and still read print magazines, morSURF could be the perfect media fix.
[Link: moresurf.com]
NEW SURF MAGAZINE LAUNCHES INTO A RIP-ROILED LINEUP
In tough times, morSURF seeks to tap a neglected demographic
Oceanside, Calif., April 28, 2009—
At a time when the entire publishing industry is in turmoil, besieged by bloggers, under attack by twitterers and generally feeling the economic malaise of lackluster advertising revenues and declining readerships that have forced many periodicals into radical cutbacks or even close-outs, a new surf magazine is taking off — available both in print and online.
morSURF launches this week as a new concept in surf magazines. It is aimed at an audience that is under served by other special interest publications whose content is dominated by the professional shortboarding scene.
“morSURF is a reflection of what’s really happening in the water,” said publisher and editor Mike Aguirre, who has a long history in action sports media. “MorSURF is not targeting a particular age demographic. Out there in the waves, there’s a broad range of male and female surfers of all ages and they are riding all kinds of different equipment for different conditions — longboards, fishes, eggs, hybrids and even stand-up paddle boards. Most surf mags are aimed solely at shortboarders. We’re calling morSURF a modern surf magazine because it is about what’s really happening in contemporary surf culture that is being largely overlooked or ignored by others.”
With a single-issue cover price of $5, morSURF will appear bi-monthly and is distributed nationally via surf shops. A six-issue subscription costs $20 and the magazine can be viewed free of charge online at morSURF.com
“There are still lots of people who like to read stories and in-depth articles and who enjoy the quality of photography in print,” said Aguirre. “But for those surfers who want their information digitally, keeping the magazine viewable online is good PR and is also great for our advertisers because their links are active. We believe morSURF’s online presence will ultimately lead to increased sales and subscriptions of the printed publication.”
morSURF was tested with a pilot issue distributed at surf industry trade shows earlier this year and the favorable response convinced Aguirre to go for it despite a low tide economy and a rip-roiled lineup of competition both in print and on the Web.
The first full-scale issue of the magazine clearly demonstrates the broad and eclectic content covered by the new publication. Among its features: an interview with 36-year-old Hawaiian Bonga Perkins, who last fall won his second longboard world championship an amazing 13 years after his first; a round-up of “quivers” — the range of boards being ridden — by highly-regarded male and female surfers from around the country; a profile of woman surfer, surfboard shaper and musician Ashley Lloyd; a stand-up paddleboard surf travel adventure in Indonesia; and a reader service article with a twist as innovative surfboard maker Greg Loehr, a former East Coast Champion, gives a first-person account of putting one surfboard through its paces at various North Shore Oahu surf spots and maximizing its performance simply by making adjustments to its fins.
For more information about the magazine, please e-mail Mike Aguirre: HYPERLINK “mailto:info@morsurf.com”info@morsurf.com or call 760-803-2003
right idea. there is definitely a void to fill with this concept of this style of a magazine.. but bummer this mag is terrible. you dont even have to open it up to see. just look at the cover. they state “quality of photography” as a sales pitch but what you get on the cover is a fullsuit shot of a longboarder in a contest jersey, a terrible shot of someone doing a very average turn on a fish, run of the mill “lifestyle” shot of bonga in his “element” and yes another shot from a competition????? wow. how do any of those photos even begin to be mentioned as cover material?
This review sounds like someone with a”CHIP” on there shoulder.
The mag is good, Mike. There`s one in every crowd.
Comments on this entry are closed.