Hi Larry:

The number of pages in a magazine is directly related to the number of pages of advertising it publishes. To stay in business, most will work on a percentage of 40% to 50% advertising. For the reader,this means the more pages of ads it sells, the more pages it has for articles.

Bill Quimby

Somehow complaining about the amount of advertising in a magazine, the dislike of outdoor television or a variety of other mundane things seems a tad trite and petty in the face of a tragedy like Gibbo's passing. But the more posts you read from some folks on AR the more you realize there really are people that struggle to be in a happy place and personify the definition of curmudgeon.

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I agree about the upgrade of SA and have been renewing my subscription at the SCI Convention every year. Missed the Convention this year and have now opted to let my subscription play out. My last issue contained the following make up of ad versus articles and have decided not for me anymore.

Pages number 122, Full Page Ads equal 26, half page ads equal 9, but the real kicker for me is there are an additional 14 Full Page Real Estate Ads. Total of 49 pages of Ads. If I want to buy Real Estate I will get a Real Estate Publication, geez.

Add to this the 4 pages by Shane Mahoney that I cut out immediately upon receipt and have only half the mag left. Maybe I am getting too old and cranky, but this is just how I see SA now. Heh if you like it, go for it, just not for me anymore. I have quit watching most every "hunting show" including TAA also, just the same da de da over and over it seems. I am cranky, huh? The knee is getting better, maybe that will change my perception?

Larry Sellers
SCI(International)Life Member
R8 Blaser
Sabatti "trash" Double Shooter

That's how they pay their bills. The magazine business model is all about circulation and advertising. Very few magazines rely on sales to run a profit- those that do are premium-priced magazines that are generally low in circulation.

Skip over the ads and enjoy the magazine.

Thank you for the near universal praise of Sports Afield. Yes, Diana deserves great accolades because so much of the success of SA is due to her hard work and good judgement. In addition I would like to point to the other members of the SA Team that all work so hard to keep it going; Jerry Gutierrez our lead designer that is always working and never water coolering; Annette Patterson who does the graphics Jerry cannot get to; Lorene Hunt who keeps the subscribers happy and can fix your gift sub to your nephew stationed in Afghanistan; Mai Sample who organizes the conventions, sometimes several in the same week; Kellin Hinds who makes sure that we all get what we need for either SA of Safari Press; James Reed in selling the ads and being our ambassador all over the world; Carrie Zrelak who runs the entire office like a clock; Jim Landis who keeps the bills paid and the books straight; and finally Sharon Barreto who keeps the subscriber data flowing and deals with all sorts of software programs I am at war with. (This list is sorted at random.)
Thank you to our many friends at AR!

Ludo Wurfbain (dictated while at a board meeting in Fiji) 

Mike Jines, you my friend are the most articulate member of AR. Insight such as yours should have landed you into the field of psychology, or at least a mind reader at the state fair! The post above was well aimed and would be the envy of a marine sniper.
As for Sports Afield, I agree that it is head and shoulders above the nearest competitor in every way. But Ludo, you are like that Fulson guy, always trying to sell advertising to pay employees, purchase air time, publish the magazine, buy articles and photography and the like. Just like those damn Tracks guys, you should dip into your personal vast fortune and publish your magazine for free, minus advertising, so it is content, content,content.
When will the outdoor industry follow the lead of the NFL, , MLB, UFC,NASCAR, NBA, ABC,NBC,CBS,MSNBC,FOX,ESPN,the local news, soap operas,Honey Boo Boo, and Oprah and start running commercial free programming. You and Fulson are throwbacks to a forgotten age, dinosaurs fighting against the clock of evolution. Wake up, the age of advertising is dead!
There, the first time in two days that 5 minutes went buy without trying to fight tears over Gibbo...

No magazines can charge $25-$35 for a sub and survive w/o advertising. There are professional/specialty magazines that do not sell advertising but they charge $150 to $300 and more per year for a sub. Our reader surveys find that most readers like most of the ads and find them informative and those that do not will read around them accepting them as a factor that keeps the sub prices low.

Sports Afield is the only non-membership (SSAA, SCI) magazine I subscribe to. I really look forward to reading it. Some issues are better than others for me, but it is streets ahead of other magazines.

I did enjoy Man Magnum magazine whilst working in Tanzania.

Cheers, Chris

Man Magnum has a digital edition for $25. I'm not much on digital editions so do subscribe to the magazine.

Agree that SA top flight! But I also enjoy African Hunting Gazette edited by Brooke Lubin (wife of PH Rudy Lubin) and African Outfitter.

Hi Bill- I realize that ads pay the bills, but I guess it was the 14 pages of Real Estate ads in a "hunting mag" that got stirred up little?

Sorry MJines - Thought this was a thread about Sports Afield and not other "current events" taking place.

Larry Sellers
SCI(International)Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by billrquimby:
Hi Larry:

The number of pages in a magazine is directly related to the number of pages of advertising it publishes. To stay in business, most will work on a percentage of 40% to 50% advertising. For the reader,this means the more pages of ads it sells, the more pages it has for articles.

Bill Quimby

quote:

Originally posted by Ludo Wurfbain:
No magazines can charge $25-$35 for a sub and survive w/o advertising. There are professional/specialty magazines that do not sell advertising but they charge $150 to $300 and more per year for a sub. Our reader surveys find that most readers like most of the ads and find them informative and those that do not will read around them accepting them as a factor that keeps the sub prices low.

Ludo,

I have been a long time customer and on again, off again subscriber to the magazine (It's not your fault, I move all the damn time).

You produce the best hunting magazine in existence. You have a good group of writers, and there is only one I don't care for. His writing is fine, I just think he is an asshole.

Diana does a hell of a job, and her writing is as good as anyone else you employ. Advertising is what it is, you have to have it. The magazine is a good balance between ads and writing. I typically read about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the magazine.

If the magazine was specifically for me, and I am not saying it is I'd like to see the following.

10% of the articles about rifles.

20% of the articles about African hunts, current ones.

20% of the articles about North American Big game, with less than one whitetail article per year.

20% of the articles a good mix of Europe, Asia, South America and Australiasia.

7.5% question answer "letters to the editor"

7.5% current news in hunting

5% legislative threats

10% cartridge specific articles

I don't normally read things about bowhunting and rarely about blackpowder. Though I usually read biographical articles about historical figures.


I have been buying books, dvds and audio cds from Safari Press for over 20 years. So you could say I am a fan.

cheers,

Seth

quote:

Originally posted by Ludo Wurfbain:
Thank you for the near universal praise of Sports Afield. Yes, Diana deserves great accolades because so much of the success of SA is due to her hard work and good judgement. In addition I would like to point to the other members of the SA Team that all work so hard to keep it going; Jerry Gutierrez our lead designer that is always working and never water coolering; Annette Patterson who does the graphics Jerry cannot get to; Lorene Hunt who keeps the subscribers happy and can fix your gift sub to your nephew stationed in Afghanistan; Mai Sample who organizes the conventions, sometimes several in the same week; Kellin Hinds who makes sure that we all get what we need for either SA of Safari Press; James Reed in selling the ads and being our ambassador all over the world; Carrie Zrelak who runs the entire office like a clock; Jim Landis who keeps the bills paid and the books straight; and finally Sharon Barreto who keeps the subscriber data flowing and deals with all sorts of software programs I am at war with. (This list is sorted at random.)
Thank you to our many friends at AR!

Ludo Wurfbain (dictated while at a board meeting in Fiji) 

He is not kidding about how hard these people work and being an editor is not all glamour, either. I've seen Diana Rupp and James Reed, Mai Sample and Carrie Zrelak re-boxing several hundred pounds of books, magazines, and other publications at the DSC convention, just to do it all over again in a couple of weeks at another convention. They work hard, all of them.
I don't mind the ads, they help SA make a profit and Ludo is kind enough to use some of that profit to support DSC and several other hunting organizations and we appreciate his support.

I too think SA is the best hunting magazine going. I usually read at least 80% of the articles. I especially like the African stuff. The only stuff I don't like is Shane Mahoney's column.

I was a teenager when I lucked-on to a copy of Sports Afield in the newsagency. It had an article about the numbers of people who are bitten by snakes around the world, and I found it fascinating. A few years later I became one of the happier snake bite statistics! Anyway, I spent what few dollars I had on it, and I've kept that edition to this day. I began subscribing a few years ago, and have enjoyed every edition. With my limited knowledge, I knew that it was a reputable publication, and booked my first African adventure with one of the advertisers in it.

I love the magazine and am a fan of Boddington, Doctari and others, including my own personal favorite, John Barsness, the original Rifle Looney. All that said, I have to admit that the reason the Old Dagga Boys and I run with subscribe for multiple years at a time, is the good looking women running their huge booth at DSC. Nice going Ludo and Diana.

A subscription of only 6 magazines over a year costs $33.00

That's about 5 dollars a copy!

I can read all I want about this topic or any hobby here on the net.

We get the Rifleman and Am Hunter now with the NRA life memberships and I hardly read them. I have been reading that stuff for 60 years and here on the net I can write and read free.

I love it. It ranks up there with GameTrails. Very well thought out. I even think the Field Survival (or whatever it's titled) is incredibly informative. I'd also like to see some of the vintage covers reprinted within, space permitting. Those were classic.

I was just about to reconsider renewing my subscription based on what some of the other folks have posted, then!! Today I received my current issue, still a lot of high dollar Real Estate ads in it. But the real kicker, packaged along with it, and larger, was a mag comprised solely of ads for high dollar Real Estate. Obviously Sports Afield is more interested in selling Real Estate than outdoor magazines. Will not renew now as I figure they can live without my measly subscription amount and I can live without the mag. Good luck with your Real Estate sales, Sports Afield.

Larry Sellers
SCI(International)Life Member

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I was just about to reconsider renewing my subscription based on what some of the other folks have posted, then!! Today I received my current issue, still a lot of high dollar Real Estate ads in it. But the real kicker, packaged along with it, and larger, was a mag comprised solely of ads for high dollar Real Estate. Obviously Sports Afield is more interested in selling Real Estate than outdoor magazines. Will not renew now as I figure they can live without my measly subscription amount and I can live without the mag. Good luck with your Real Estate sales, Sports Afield.

Larry Sellers
SCI(International)Life Member[/QUOTE

Toss the real estate stuff if you choose, I'm not a buyer. I still like seeing it. I love seeing the classified section on AR. I've bought a few guns from there. If you're a shopper, look. However, move on and forget it. Heck, banning the classified AR section would have more cash in my pocket.

Sports Afield also sponsors the annual Literary Award for Dallas Safari Club. So, they are giving back to the hunting community by promoting good writing skills, a talent that almost all of us have lost over the years.

"Move on and forget about it". That's exactly what I am doing by not renewing to SA. My circle file is already overloaded by the junk showing up through the mail.

Larry Sellers
SCI(International)Life Member
R8 Blaser
Sabatti "trash" Double Shooter

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I was just about to reconsider renewing my subscription based on what some of the other folks have posted, then!! Today I received my current issue, still a lot of high dollar Real Estate ads in it. But the real kicker, packaged along with it, and larger, was a mag comprised solely of ads for high dollar Real Estate. Obviously Sports Afield is more interested in selling Real Estate than outdoor magazines. Will not renew now as I figure they can live without my measly subscription amount and I can live without the mag. Good luck with your Real Estate sales, Sports Afield.

Larry Sellers
SCI(International)Life Member[/QUOTE

Toss the real estate stuff if you choose, I'm not a buyer. I still like seeing it. I love seeing the classified section on AR. I've bought a few guns from there. If you're a shopper, look. However, move on and forget it. Heck, banning the classified AR section would have more cash in my pocket.

quote:

Originally posted by Ludo Wurfbain:
No magazines can charge $25-$35 for a sub and survive w/o advertising. There are professional/specialty magazines that do not sell advertising but they charge $150 to $300 and more per year for a sub. Our reader surveys find that most readers like most of the ads and find them informative and those that do not will read around them accepting them as a factor that keeps the sub prices low.

Any of those that we should be aware of? (Gun, hunting related)

quote:

Originally posted by interested:
Man Magnum has a digital edition for $25. I'm not much on digital editions so do subscribe to the magazine.

Agree that SA top flight! But I also enjoy African Hunting Gazette edited by Brooke Lubin (wife of PH Rudy Lubin) and African Outfitter.

Thanks for that - didn't know there was a digital version

The Sports Afield subscription page shows this:

"Subscribe today and get one year—six big, glossy, full-color issues—for only $27.97!"

Thats almost $5 dollars a magazine!

Since I have been reading that stuff for about 60 years I could write most of what interests me back to them.

I hardly read the American Rifleman and American Hunter magazines that come with the NRA memberships and that's far more important than just a magazine.

This internet has changed things drastically.



The cover page has an article on Africa. I am never going there.

I think the magazine is good. I wish the same attention went into the books, however. The repetition of designs and colors blurs the individuality of the authors and needs attention, and whoever decided to print text on glossy pages (ala Months of the Sun), needs to think again; the book is too heavy and hard to read due to glare. Plus, seeing more of these books printed in Singapore and China is just plain disheartening.

quote:

Originally posted by cessna:
It is the only hunting magazine I subscribe to. I think Diana has truly turned it into a magazine worth reading for the hunter, either for the African hunter or the rest of the world hunter. I aspecially like reading a magazine that is not totally saturated on the love affair with the AR platform type of rifle. Hats off to Sports Afield.

I'll second that bold statement!

Sports Afield is the only non-membership magazine I subscribe to. My hat's off to Ludo and his excellent magazine staff. My question relates to Larry Sellers comment about Shane Mahoney. I do the same thing with his articles (tear them out) so to speak. Who is he? And why is he? He seems to be the star child of the hunting world. It's beyond me why. He does seem to be a reasonable speaker, but takes a hundred words to say the same thing he could have said in twenty-five. Maybe it's just me, I don't see the benefit of him in a hunting magazine such as SA.

I second (or third, or whatever) the comments on ARs and Mahoney. I can barely get past that pompous, affected profile pic to read his articles.