Active Interest Media (AIM) is buying Climbing Magazine and Urban Climber Magazine from Skram Media. AIM plans to put both the print and on-line magazines in their new Outdoor Group, which includes Backpacker, SNEWS, National Parks Interactive, and Peaks. Both magazines will be based in Boulder, Colorado.
Dougald MacDonald, a respected writer, news editor for climbing.com and former publisher of Rock & Ice Magazine, will become editor-in-chief at Climbing and editorial director for both magazines. Jeff Achey, the current Climbing editor, will become the features editor in August.
MacDonald told SNEWS, "I've been a freelancer since we sold Rock & Ice eight years ago, and I've been enjoying that lifestyle very much, but this is such a unique and extraordinary opportunity to join such a talented team. It is, to me, irresistible to be able to take something that is very good and, with resources and new ideas, make it better."
One of the goals of the new Climbing and Urban Climber magazines is to increase information for climbers from rank beginners to seasoned experts. "In the editorial for Climbing and Urban Climber," says MacDonald, "we will be aiming squarely at the hundreds of thousands of weekend warriors who are not being served. We will, of course, still cover elite climbers, but in terms of providing destination and helpful info our content will be aimed at inspiring and enabling the core."
The climbing magazine business has changed dramatically over the past ten years. Both advertising revenues and the size of the magazines have shrunk. It will be interesting to see if Dougald's approach can reinvent the climbing magazine, increase circulation, and build revenues. Congratulations and good luck Dougald.
Photograph above: A classic 1987 Climbing Magazine (#101) cover of Jim Waugh wearing outrageous lycra on Mount Lemmon in Arizona.
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