Progress Report

Greeting Freestylers,

Over the past summer we have been exploring the options available for the continued publishing of Kicker Magazine. With the current economic market conditions that exist today and an even tougher publishing market, the outlook is not favorable.

As a start up publication operating in a niche market, we found the premier issue did not receive the sufficient response required to solicit the advertisers and sponsors necessary to move forward. To achieve a membership magazine solicitation offer, one should have a successful business operation in place first that represents the sport of freestyle skiing. From that position, one can then build upon avenues such as club memberships, etc. And third, a more grass roots approach of starting a small regional publication is conceivable but a slow and difficult task for attracting major advertisers and sponsors within freestyle skiing.

Unfortunately as a result, we will not be moving ahead with the publishing of Kicker Magazine for next season or in the future.      

Outside of the direct mail approach used for Kicker Magazine, there are other methods available for a publication launch. These business models would require Wall Street level cash to make happen for a niche magazine dedicated to freestyle skiing. First, is  the standard mass marketing approach using magazine distributors and vendors with a print run around twenty to thirty thousand copy. This would build a market from scratch while pulling in advertisers and vendors alike. The second approach, build a distribution network throughout the world of freestyle skiing using ski events, the world cup circuit and club memberships with print runs of an equal size. Both business models would take multiple seasons to build a successful business entity.

As much as I have learned from the publishing aspects of Kicker Magazine, I have also learned about the sport of competition skiing. What has surprised me the most is how nationalistic the sport has become, from the local level to the world cup level. This translates to the publishing world as well. An international publication is not really the best format for such an environment. A single entity national or regional publication would provide the strongest focus for freestyle skiing.

I have enjoyed my work publishing Kicker Magazine but the business aspects of such a publication are indeed the governing factors. I hope to see the awesome sport of freestyle skiing continue its advancement, growth and development from the local ski hills to the Olympics venues, now and in the future.  

Best of luck to all. 

Sincerely,

Alan Skinner, Publisher