Where are they taking Triathlete magazine? A new editor; self-adulation of their writers and graphic artists; dumb down articles; fat letter mast-head; and a comic character replacing Scot Tinley’s monthly end-piece. So far, I’m not liking the changes.
Let it develop. Triathlete has a long pedigree as the oldest surviving of the current title mags. They had some changes and traded away some epic talent in design, editing and content (Jay Prashun who is now at LAVA) but they are re-defining themselves to fit with the other publications.
Right now the field is crowded in triathlon publishing. There is more media (internet, our user-generated, the glossies, etc.) and the competition for ad dollars has got to be fierce. Publications have to prove their worth- earn their audience. LAVA darn near has a captive audience. The rest will still have to work.
If Triathlete can redefine themselves.
To me a key in good publishing of periodicals in these type of topics is good technical writing. I’m a technical writer so, if the only tool you have is a hammer the whole world is a nail- so of course I will suggest that is the key to gaining readership.
I look at the really good publicatons outside of our sport as examples. There are defense publications that have retired Generals writing for them. They have engineers with graduate degrees who can actually write doing their work. Some also have darn good wordsmiths pounding out unique and engaging content that keep a fellow in the magazine and on the loo long after the necessity has passed. They are resources within their industry and topic-matter.
If the triathlon magazines look outside the triathlon industry for inspiraton and ideas they will continue to develop. It will be intersting to see where they are in three years.
It looks like the three major triathlon magazines are geared toward their own niches.
Triathlete is more for the beginner (like Runners World and Bicycling).
Inside Triathlon focuses more on story telling and in depth articles (like Surfers Journal).
Lava Magazine claims they are for the “serious triathlete” and focus more on 70.3 and 140.6.
I have let my sub run out…going to give Lava a try. Still like Inside Tri’s newest incarnation.
I agree. The content is worse and the layout of the mag is terrible. looks like they are trying too hard to be different.
KC
I’m signed up for the 2011 Texas Ironman and thought I read on ST that I was supposed to get an automatic supbscription to Lava. Was I wrong?
I have to admit I have enjoyed my Lava free subscription more than I expected.
Is Inside Tri now like Surfers Journal? When did this happen? If so I will have to revisit it.
I have to admit I have enjoyed my Lava free subscription more than I expected.
x2. It is now my favorite tri mag.
Where are they taking Triathlete magazine? A new editor; self-adulation of their writers and graphic artists; dumb down articles; fat letter mast-head; and a comic character replacing Scot Tinley’s monthly end-piece. So far, I’m not liking the changes.
I like it better. It still has a long way to go, but I think they’re making a step in the right direction. My wife, who is a non-competitive runner, likes it MUCH better - it’s much more like “Runners World” now.
I have let my sub run out…going to give Lava a try. Still like Inside Tri’s newest incarnation.
I agree…Insdie Tri is a beautiful mag. I like leaving it around as a “coffee -table” book.
I completely agree. I have been a triathlete subscriber for the past 5yrs and am very disappointed with the new format. What are they thinking. I find the new format an insult to my intelligence. The last 2 editions took me 15 minutes to browse thru. Fluff articles, no Scott Tinley and no Race reports. I won’t renew again.
Where are they taking Triathlete magazine? A new editor; self-adulation of their writers and graphic artists; dumb down articles; fat letter mast-head; and a comic character replacing Scot Tinley’s monthly end-piece. So far, I’m not liking the changes.
I hope not. One of reasons I like ‘our’ version Triathlete Europe is that its one of the few magazines that can tell you something you didn’t already know and doesn’t feel the need to pad out entire pages with a single photograph of a new pair of running shoes or something. Its the only one you can’t (couldn’t?) read in around 20minutes. In fairness though, it must be quite hard for writers to come up with new stuff every month, especially as budgets unfortunately aren’t going to stretch to giving, what I suspect, is the kind of article that many would find truly useful e.g. we went to the windtunnel and tested loads of aero-helmets and here are the results, instead of simply commenting on how aero they look.
LAVA darn near has a captive audience…
Really? I don’t even know what it is? (The magazine that is)
my guess is that as triathlons go mass-market, triathlete mag is trying to position itself as the “bicycling/runner’s world/men’s health” of triathlon. entry-level, quickly digestable, mass-market stuff.
i would expect a trend toward the word “abs” on every cover, lots more “your first triathlon” pieces, and more articles that focus on the bullet-point’ approach to nutrition, training, recovery, etc.
as for tom d’s dreams of something like ‘the economist’ or ‘foreign affairs’ or ‘janes’ . . . well, keep on dreamin’.
-mike
I can’t stand the new layout. That magazine has always been full of fluff, but now it’s worse than it was. And I can’t even tell the difference between the ads and the articles anymore. I’m not going to renew. It’s expensive compared to other magazines and they don’t offer anything for that money.
I completley agree. A few months ago I started noticing the changes and I had a feeling I would end up letting my subscription expire. Based on what I’ve seen, I’m standing by that initial assessment. It has really turned into more of a beginners magazine, which is fine (i’m sure there’s a big market for it)…but it’s not for me. When Inside Triathlon changed to the current incarnation a couple of years ago, I was really impressed. I find it to be a way better magazine now, even though it’s only a bi-monthly. The articles are much more in depth. I also like Lava…which i believe is also bi-monthly. I will be sticking with those two and dropping Triathlete.
As somebody else pointed out, I just got my new Triathlete magazine and basically thumbed through it in 20 minutes…too much fluff.
I’ve got no problems with the new layout. Like cars, they need to update it every 3 to 5 years.
I’ve got no problem using celebrities as the cover story. It’s a product, and it needs to sell. Name recognition sells.
I don’t know why Scott Tinley’s no longer writing his column (don’t know if it was his call or someone else’s), but I have no problem giving the back page over to Jef Mallett. I’d love to see Tinley’s column return anyway, if he’d be so inclined.
Not really happy with the highly truncated race re-caps, but I kind of understand it. However, they should list a link to their website for more in-depth coverage of each race, IMHO. They could really make the website a Go-To destination if they put some serious effort into making it THE place for all the race news (inter-active maps; videos; interviews before & after; individual’s race reports; etc.).
What I do have a problem with is having the Kona “pre-view” come out in the NOV issue. THAT is ignorant. I realize that magazines gets released approx a month in advance of the date on the cover, but my Nov issue showed up on Mon, Oct 11th. Not a very effective “pre-view”. Had it shown up a month BEFORE Kona, the total omission of any mention of Macca would have been seen as a reasonable lapse, as so many had virtually written him off. Having it show up the Monday after one of the greatest performances in Ironman history, well, that really makes the editor look bad.
I’m still hoping Julia Beeson Polloreno (the new editor) is able to find that line between “coffee table” magazine and serious & timely resource.
My $0.02
Later!
Brian
Well Tom, being a Tech writer and being in the Pub business is two different worlds. You say give them 3 yrs, I say in 1 they either make it or die out…
They either give their reading audience what they are looking for from the get go, or they loose the readership. This is not a business that you work into.
We have lost many a magazine in the years because we failed to address reader needs. Advertising dollars will not follow a hope that readers will come.
How do I know, I work for a Publication company that produces 17 different magazines and business oriented web sites.
I hardly look at the magazine anymore as it brings nothing new to the table for the sport. Like you, I’ve been around this sport a very long time and watched the evolution of this pub and now the decline.
My wife wants to know why a woman with a barely covered vagina is on the cover; she also wants to know why the website doesn’t have contests for MR. November.
I actually like the new format better. I never liked Scott Tinley’s writing.
I’m struck by the coverage of the WTC Miami 70.3 debacle. Other WTC races have had problems like that before but you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t read the forum. None of the websites ( Triathlete, Slowtwitch ) reported on it until WTC offered a rebate. ( Before someone here calls me names, let me say if Lava did, I didn’t see it . ) I know the tri media makes it’s money from ads but it’s not healthy for the sport if WTC isn’t held accountable ( when deserved ).
Here here…
They need to report the good, the bad and the ugly of the sport to be legitimate