Wakeboarding Magazine Sucks!

DCdave56 · Posted: Apr 14, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject: Wakeboarding Magazine Sucks!

This is not usually my style BUT, I can't stand Wakeboarding Magazine. The editor and writers could spend 15 minutes on this website and create a magazine 10x better. They have all the advertising money they need, therefore, they don't care about creating a quality product. Even their website sucks! I'm done ranting.

tball · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 3953

I'm not impressed with their magazine either. I'd be willing to spend money on a subscription if it didn't read like an aquatic "Teen Beat".

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

I subscribed last year for my first time. I just wanted some nice wakeboarding pictures to hang at my office. I've got 5 up now and I think I'm good. I didn't sign up for a subscription this year. I learn SO much more on this website about wakeboarding than I do in the mag. And if there's a good article someone will post it here. The trick tips issue was good though. It went through a sequence shot and trick tips for a TON of different tricks. It was nice to have for out on the boat when people are working on different things. But I lost that issue so..

Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Apr 14, 2005 1:22 pm Post subject:

I like Alliance Mag better, more pics and less ads. Cool

DCdave56 · Posted: Apr 14, 2005 1:26 pm Post subject:

I'm not upset about the ads at all. There needs to be more content. There are millions of ideas out there wake related for articles. The wake market is just so small that there isn't enough room out there for another magazine. I also agree that Alliance is way better but it is too Florida centered for my tastes.

Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Apr 14, 2005 1:31 pm Post subject:

DU540 · Outlaw Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 185 City: PDX

An interesting bit of info - Alliance charges more for their ad space then Wakeboading Mag does. They've got a nicer "Advertiser's" package too.

waverider* · Outlaw Joined: 02 Aug 2004 Posts: 145 City: Pickwick,Tn

I still get excited everytime I get it... But there are lots of ads especially on the May issue, it seems like they have more... .. There wasn't alot to read about...

Jama · Soul Rider Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 476 City: Knoxville

Alliance is awesome except their gear guide issue sucked this year

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Bowen · Posted: Apr 14, 2005 2:59 pm Post subject:

DU540, everytime I see your avatar I crack up...you have got to have the coolest kid ever.

I've subscribed to WBM for probably like 5 or 6 years...I also like alliance better but I just rely on local shops to pick up my copy.

prior40 · Addict Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 579 City: Palo Alto

I think I am going to have to get a subscription to Alliance because I haven't found any local shope around here that carry it. I used to have a subscription to WBM, but it isn't doing much for me these days. I wish it had more articles or interviews, or more news from inside the industry. But we always have this site for all that.

B_Fool · Soul Rider Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 373 City: Cen FLA

Alliance is basically a LF and Hyperlite product catalog. I like Wakeboarding Mag better because they seem to show more than just the same ten riders all on the same boards.

I do agree however that these websites are more informative.

DU540 · Outlaw Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 185 City: PDX

Jama · Soul Rider Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 476 City: Knoxville

DU540, I have to agree with bowen IMO you have one of if not the best avatar

comptechboarder · Criminal Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Posts: 56

Alliance

Tyler~Moore · Posted: Apr 14, 2005 6:59 pm Post subject:

Jama, gear guide sucked...but i dont know anyone who actually USES the gear guide...all I use it for is to check out everyones graphics...

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

Exactly why I subscribe to Surf and Snowboard mags but not wakeboarding.

Garrett Cortese · Moderator Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Posts: 300 City: Orlando

To those who care,

Rather than get online and whine and moan about the magazines, why not do something about it? Write a letter to the editors. They read them, trust me. If you guys are subscribers you are allowed a say. Tell them what you like and don't like. Don't just sit here and say screw this, this sucks. Tell them what you think is bad and what you think would be good.

In a world of opinions and subjectivity there's no such thing as a "perfect" publication. What one person might think is outstanding might be complete trash to another. The magazines have a very hard job trying to make everybody happy. They are, after all, a business. There's the advertisers, the readers, and of course, the sport as a whole. Both magazines work extremely hard to be a successful business, keep readers reading and entertained, and represent the sport in a positive way.

Nobody is forcing any of you to subscribe, and if you feel the best way to voice your opinion about the magazines is to not subscribe, then so be it. If you want to subscribe to the mags but would like some changes and have suggestions, ideas, comments, or critiques; write a letter or send an e-mail. Don't just sit here and bitch. Come up with a solution. Both mags list e-mail addresses, so it's not hard at all to contact them. If you think it's so bad, then start your own mag. Trust me, after a while you'll see it's not the easiest thing in the world, especially when you have people online moaning and groaning Wink

So get involved, it's not hard. The time you spend on here typing away all your frustrations could be spent voicing an opinion to an editor at a magazine.

Remember one thing. We're all here and "linked" together because of one thing: wakeboarding. Keep riding, keep having fun, keep supporting the sport, and keep it real.

Just my two pennies worth...

Tigerblp · Posted: Apr 14, 2005 9:04 pm Post subject:

I'm with Garrett on this one.

WBM I know reads every single letter they get, and they respond. Matt knows people want less event coverage, more photos, and more interviews. Just keep in mind, publishing a magazine is much more expensive than you think.

tball · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 3953

I think it's okay to not like the magazine. I think it's okay to start a thread saying you don't like it. I think it's okay to agree or disagree with the thread and post your opinion on the thread. The occaisional moderator litany that goes something like "don't complain unless you know every facet of what you're complaining about and even then don't start whining unless you are offering a solution" is appropriate and is good guidance, but this is a discussion board not a policy thesis. I respect the hallway monitor role of the mods and this is a great site but I've noticed an increased "moral highground" mentality that's a little off-putting.

Garrett Cortese's comment "Don't just sit here and bitch" is off-base. I think this site is a reasonable place to do just that. As always, this is just my .02 and I welcome any feedback to my comments.

Josh R · Posted: Apr 15, 2005 5:42 am Post subject:

tball · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 3953

Josh R, I'm with you. But please allow me this observation. Wakeboarding Magazine is the way it is on purpose. I'm sure it's not a bunch of random guys doing what they want on a whim. They make their magazine how they think it will sell the most copies. It's a business and I absolutely admire the purity of a free-market economy. They undoubtedly do market surveys, have board meetings, sales forecasts, and they develop a strategy to move the most magazines. That evidently means catering to the 10-14 year old demographic. IMHO, the magazine doesn't cater to me on purpose because there aren't enough 30 year old, married guys that would buy their magazine, and that's a smart business decision on their part because they're right. So I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm just saying I don't like it. I'm also saying I'm not wrong for stating I don't like it even though I haven't dropped the magazine a note. It would be the same as me writing a tricycle company and complaining that their tricycles were too small for me.

Beaver · Posted: Apr 15, 2005 6:29 am Post subject:

I like alliance better, some of the WBM's are good tho....SBC is really good but its canadian.

Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Apr 15, 2005 6:35 am Post subject:

OUwakeboarder · Outlaw Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 153 City: Moore/Norman

I never have the time to read anyway.

BR_WB · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 2850

I like them all. I like getting SCB whenever I go up north, but it only comes out like four times a year. Alliance is great - quality over quantity. WBM had great instructionals last year and the year before - they have gone downhill and became a bit repitious.

DCdave56 · Posted: Apr 15, 2005 7:28 am Post subject:

I re-read my original post and realized that it was a little over-the-top. I don't think the magazine sucks, I just think that if we should have to thumb through all of those ads, that we should find more content when we get through them. I even enjoy the ads but then again I enjoy anything wakeboarding. I think that a magazine version of Wakeboarder or Wakeworld would out sale Wakeboarding magazine in a minute.

NWWake · Newbie Joined: 06 May 2003 Posts: 36

NWWake · Newbie Joined: 06 May 2003 Posts: 36

DCdave56 · Posted: Apr 15, 2005 7:37 am Post subject:

Ok. Let's turn this thread around and give some suggestions for improvement... I'll start.

Why not profile "crews"? Give the background of local riding crews. Tell what they do for a living, where they ride, how they met, how they've progressed as riders, how they push one-another. They could interview all different types of crews form college kids to older timers to beginners all over the US. Wouldn't this be interesting? One crew per issue.

Garrett Cortese · Moderator Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Posts: 300 City: Orlando

I think my post can be read with a more "harsh" tone than it was meant to have. It was meant to be more encouraging than anything else.

tball, I agree with much of what you said. People should be able to post their opinions and this is a great place to do it. I just think the thread would be a bit more productive and useful if people said why something sucks and how it could be better, and I'd encourage people to get involved. It just gets annoying because it seems like we see these type of threads on a regular basis. Lots of complaining and not much else.

I think what set me off was the title of the thread more than anything else. Just to come straight out and say one of the mags in the industry flat out sucks is pretty harsh. Sure, it's an opinion, and sure people are entitled to their own, but put some substance behind it if you're gonna go out on a limb and make a statement like that, you know? I'm not mad or "venting" at anybody, just giving my two cents.

NWWake, the editors do read the online wakeboarding forums. So do a lot of the riders. You'd be surprised who reads these things on a regular basis. Remember, wakeboarding is a very, very small sport compared to most others. As far as discussing things, though, I can tell you the last thing editors have time for is to sit online and wait for people to post opinions about their respective publications and then try to type out a response. It takes a lot more time than most realize to put a mag together.

So, to those of you who have, for some reason or another, read this far and still care, let's hear it. Throw some ideas out there. What would you like to see in the mags? And more importantly, why? Why would it be good to see in a mag and how would it make a mag better?

loomosity · Outlaw Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 103

About the only thing that I use wakeboard magazine these days is the trick tips, which have greatly improved under K. Schmidt's direction and I think are very useful, and the wakeboard pics. Oh, yeah, occassionally the Reef pics, if you know what I mean. Wink

Those alone are worth the $10 per year that I pay to subscribe. I am always excited to get my wakeboard mag and I always read it within a few days of getting it. Although I agree with a lot of the posts here as to the quality (or lack thereof) of the articles, I keep coming back for more.

J_DOGG · Posted: Apr 15, 2005 8:18 am Post subject:

It is what it is!

For people like me (in NH with no real wake scene) it's a little piece of the wakeboarding world I never get to see.

I would take WakeTV over it any day but WakeTV is no more.... Crying or Very sad

electricsnow · Posted: Apr 15, 2005 9:20 am Post subject:

NWWwake, I completely agree with you. I can say for a fact that if the point breaks, the editors WILL listen if it's on a message board. I'm not going to get personal, but I've written a crap load of letters to the editor (so many it's pathetic, but I'm disapointed at where the mag is, compred to where it was years ago), expressing every issue I had with that magazine. Those didn't do anything, and it was only when I started sharing the same distaste on a web forum that I was actually listened to.

They know what I dislike and I gave them my suggestions. And quite frankly, I feel like I'm proof that those damn letters to the editor don't always work. And to top it off, (like you said) when they print something, half the time it's some crappy smart-assed but not funny reply. They did that to a friend of mine and basically laughed at him for having principles.

And I'll be perfectly frank, I think they need a new editor.