News
Update: September 27, 2004
FUTURE NETWORK USA LAUNCHES
ACTION SPORTS GROUP FRAN RICHARDS NAMED PUBLISHER...
CONSUMER & TRADE MAGS TO APPEAR IN 2005
Brisbane and San Diego, CA - (September 27, 2004) ? Future Network USA, the
country's foremost publisher of cutting edge gaming, computing and musician
magazines, is opening a new action sports group with a new set of magazines,
it was announced today by president Jonathan Simpson-Bint.
Future Network USA is a division of UK-based Future Network, plc [FNET].
Longtime snowboard and skateboard publishing veteran Fran Richards will head
the new division, which will be based in San Diego. Richards is best known
for his hailed tenure as the VP sales & marketing, publisher at TransWorld
Media, where he oversaw group advertising sales for Skateboarding,
Snowboarding, Surf, Stance, Ride BMX, TW BMX and Freeze magazines. Since
departing TransWorld in August 2002, Richards ran youth marketing firm
Modern World LLC, with blue chips clients such as Intrawest Ski Resorts,
Island Def Jam Music Group, Warner Strategic Marketing, Interscope Records
Group, Pro Tee Systems, Gravity Games LLC and IMG.
The new division fits in perfectly with Future's hot stable of enthusiast
titles targeted at young men 18 - 30: PC Gamer, PSM: 100% Independent
PlayStation 2 Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine, Mobile PC, Maximum PC,
MacAddict, Guitar World and Guitar One. Future sells over one million
videogame titles on the newsstand every month.
Future Action Sports has a long-range multi-tier launch plan kicking off in
January 2005: first, Future will premiere the five-times-a-year Skateboard
Trade News at the Action Sports Retailer trade show and the quarterly
Snowboard Trade News will debut at the Snowsport Industry of America trade
show in Las Vegas. Both of them will be free, controlled-circulation
publications. Both magazines will be the only single sport focused trades in
the board sports business.
Adam Sullivan, formerly the editor of TransWorld Skateboarding Business
magazine, has been named as the editor of Future's Skateboard Trade News.
In August 2005, Future Action Sports will launch a new snowboard consumer
magazine. More details will follow regarding the title, circulation,
frequency and staff. Richards describes the title as Pfocused on reader
needs rather than elite athlete needs. With an inclusive voice and photos
that engage all snowboarders, we will bring world-class riding to the reader
instead of holding it at arm's length. Everyone is invited to our party.?
PEntering the snowboard and skateboard arena is a natural when you've got a
lock on the opinion-leading youth and enthusiast market," explains
Simpson-Bint. "With Fran Richards at the helm, the industries and readers
can trust our vision, passion and authenticity.?
Future Network USA currently ranks 13th out of the top 20 audited newsstand
publishers in gross retail sales. As stated in the April 2004 issue of
Circulation Management, Future showed the biggest increase among the top 50
newsstand publishing companies for 2003, with a gross retail revenue sales
increase of 77%. The average U.S. magazine cover price of the top 50 audited
titles on the newsstand is $3.28 while the average Future cover price is
$7.65. With an average cover price more than twice the industry average,
Future consistently outperforms their competitors.
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