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| Q&A: Michael Brooke - Publisher, Concrete Wave Magazine (7141 Posts)
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TRANSWORLD
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On 9/24/2003
ERIC 31
wrote in from
(12.81.nnn.nnn)
AOL Time Warner needs to look back in history and see what became of Action Now. They're stupid. That mag will be history very shortly. I stopped reading it a while ago. Looking at handrails endlessly in 98% of the photos got old real fast. TWS was much better from 84-90 when they covered ALL types of skating.
My new Concrete Wave hasn't gotten here just yet. I'm patient and looking forward to reading it. (as always)
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TWS,,,
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On 9/24/2003
Mike Moore
wrote in from
(66.196.nnn.nnn)
Boo hooo.
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breaking news
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On 9/24/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
some of you might already know this, but Dave Swift, Grant Brittain and Attiba Jefferson are leaving Transworld Skateboarding...
this has enormous repercussions in the short board world....or does it?
will we see a new magazine?
will AOL Time Warner put more hair gel and zit cream ads in Transworld?
inquriing minds want to know...
and if anyone's talking with Grant, we'd love to do a portfolio on his work!
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larry flynt
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On 9/23/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
just kidding about that larry flynt bit...
actually, he bought blunt magazine and got big brother thrown in for free...
my son, aged 7, is planning on working on the mag, so it's very doubtful Larry will get his hands on it anytime soon....plus, he already owns a skate mag!
I just hope people catch the vibe and this thing tips...
it's about time!
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oh boy!
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On 9/23/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
guys,
you know its getting heavy when we start seeing posts like Geezer X
seriously! me and craig condon had a few beers last night and it was just pure joy discussing the soul of skateboarding
there is is movement brewing...we are taking back our sport one skater at a time
and by the way, if you see the magazine racked upside down (yes, that's how abec 11 wanted their ad) please flip it over so you can see the proper cover!
I pledge 100% skateboarding FOREVER....or until larry flynt offers me 15 million dollars...which ever comes first!
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CWT
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On 9/23/2003
Geezer-X
wrote in from
(149.2.nnn.nnn)
I'm sitting her at my desk at work in sartorial splendor, seeing as I'm attired in my extraordinarily tasteful CW T shirt. Johnny Cash black all over, just like all the rest of my clothes, with a discrete CW logo over my heart, right where it belongs.
"I pledge allegiance to Concrete Wave,
chronicle of righteous radical action,
standard-bearer for skaters on the margins
and the fringes, and keeper of the stoke.
From the Hills of Rio de Janiero, to the concrete of Vancouver. The pools of Huntington Beach to the pipes in the desert. From the park in Toronto to the Park and Ride in Maryland. For the one percenter skaters who need
100% skateboarding. Of this we sing, etc. Amen"
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right next to the handrail mags
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On 9/23/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
Merci Pierre
you have made my day!
the first thing I wanted to get right was the magazine look and feel...thanks to an incredible team of folks, we are accomplishing this... and we are 70% of the way there...
but I also wanted to make sure that when we appeared on the newsstand, it would stand out next to all the other mags..
what's out there...
Big Brother
Transworld Skateboarding
Thrasher
Skateboarder
Slap
Document (UK)
Kingpin (UK)
I am very pleased that we sit up against these magazines offering a different look at skateboarding.
We will remain committed to 100% skateboarding and knowing that the magazine is out there on the rack makes it all worthwhile!
I would like to hear from others where they spy the magazine...there are 9,000 on the newsstand just in Canada
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Concrete Wave in Québec
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On 9/23/2003
Pierre
wrote in from
(24.200.nnn.nnn)
I was very happy to buy the latest issue of Concrete Wave in "Maison de la Presse" in Montreal, it's great to see the mag finally beeing available along with the handrails mags.
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magazine availability
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On 9/23/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
the magazine is available at most b&n's along with b dalton...
it is also available in chapters and indigo in Canada....
i would encourage you to convince other magazine retailers to start carrying the magazine (hello borders!?!)
they should contact my distributor Coast to Coast
at 416-754-3900 ask for april at ext. 229
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CW at my local store?
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On 9/22/2003 msk
wrote in from
(66.214.nnn.nnn)
Will the new issue of CW be available at all Barnes & Nobles, or is it still just limited areas?
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a VERY interesting article...
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On 9/21/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.221.nnn.nnn)
Fascinating article from San Diego's UNION TRIBUNE
we promised 100% skateboarding...and we will NEVER waiver from this. No hair gel ads...ever!
Corporate culture with skater roots
By Conor Dougherty
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 20, 2003
While photo editor and photographer J. Grant Brittain has been with Transworld Skateboarding for 20 years, the departure of many other staffers under the new ownership of Time Warner has many insiders wondering whether the Oceanside-base publishing company has become too corporate for its own good.
In the new edition of Transworld Skateboarding, one page before an advertisement that features a skateboarder named Trainwreck hurling himself down a large set of stairs, there is an ad for L'Oreal hair dye that features a pair of platinum blond models.
The pitch in the ad: "powered-up lightening. pumped-up conditioning. for her. for him. for you."
The verdict from skateboarders: Lame.
Insiders say the acceptance of ads like L'Oreal's, which seem so out of step with the interests of the skate mag's core readership, is an indicator of the new corporate attitude that has transformed Oceanside-based Transworld Media since Time Warner bought the company three years ago.
Now, several recent staff departures have insiders wondering if Transworld has finally become too corporate for its own good.
In its first two decades, the publisher of action sports magazines – including Transworld Skateboarding, Transworld Snowboarding and Transworld Surf – had survived a number of ownership changes and a brush with bankruptcy, each time with minimal turnover or unrest.
But that has not been the case since Time Warner came into the picture. Recently departed veterans say they could hardly make a decision without calling New York, and that they were being pressured to do things like produce more special issues and to take more non-core advertising, such as the recent L'Oreal ad. Special projects like skateboard videos, which Transworld has released sporadically for a decade or so, are being demanded at a more rapid and regular pace.
"People are starting to notice who owns Transworld now," said Mike Mihaly, the former general manager of Transworld Skateboarding, who left his post last week.
Mihaly, an 11-year veteran of the company, said the new management had been redefining a number of veterans' jobs, adding some responsibilities and taking away others. "And so a lot of the original guys left," he said.
Glenn Rogers, vice president and group publisher for Transworld Media, conceded that things have changed for the once-entrepreneurial company, but that many employees are happy with the benefits. "Naturally, when a business scales up there are going to be changes," he said. "Is there a little more red tape? I'm sure there is. On the other hand there is financial stability, so there are trade-offs to everything."
In terms of head count, the recent departure figures are far from staggering. Around a dozen key figures have left Transworld in the past two years, but only a handful of veterans remain out of a total of 120 or so employees. The company's executive committee has been replaced almost completely.
"Nobody was summarily fired, but what it came down to is they are a mainstream publisher who bought a group of niche magazines that don't operate the same way," said Fran Richards, a former vice president of sales who left Transworld last year.
Of course, the rising popularity of action sports has changed Transworld's readership. Action sports stars are in video games and television commercials, they're penning biographies and endorsing products like Tylenol – not exactly the hardest-core sponsor. "Younger readers are being exposed to so much advertising, and I don't think it's as jarring to them as it may have been to the previous generation," Rogers said.
At the same time, Transworld's overall business has continued to perform well, taking into consideration the general malaise in magazine publishing. Rogers said Transworld's revenue was just under $40 million in 2002, and that the company expects about the same this year.
Transworld was founded in 1983 by Larry Balma, a one-time commercial fisherman who owned Tracker Trucks, a manufacturer of skateboard components. Balma started Transworld Skateboarding as an alternative to Thrasher, a San Francisco-based magazine that caters to older skateboarders and tends on the side of punk rock.
"They were pretty harsh, sex and drugs and using four-letter words and all that," Balma said. "And in the early '80s, the sport started growing and (Thrasher) wasn't the best magazine for young kids."
Transworld, which is named for Balma's commercial fishing company, grew quickly and in 1986 added a second title, Transworld Snowboarding.
Throughout its history, Transworld has strived to add national advertisers as a means of supporting advertisements from core companies. National advertisers were generally charged more and are encouraged to design custom ads for the action sports market.
"The kids view advertising much like they view editorial, so we were constantly advising general advertisers to craft their message," said Brian Sellstrom, who served as president of Transworld Publications from 1989 until 2000.
Sellstrom said this often meant refusing ads from certain national advertisers that could be deemed uncool, even at times when the magazine was suffering financially. "It's a unique audience and we were always sensitive to that," he said.
In 1994, after a year of negotiations, Transworld Snowboarding was purchased by Times Mirror. Three years later, Times Mirror added Transworld Skateboarding. Transworld Media was briefly owned by Tribune after it acquired Times Mirror in 2000, then became a unit of AOL Time Warner.
Almost immediately, the newly merged AOL Time Warner made its mark. In late 2001, an issue of Transworld Skateboarding contained an America Online software disc, prompting a managing editor to pen a note apologizing to readers.
"Sorry for the poly-bagged edition with the 1,000 hours of free Internet access from AOL," Eric Sentianin wrote in an editor's note in the November 2001 issue. "We here at the magazine didn't even find out about the atrocity until (the magazines) made it into the office. We feel just as violated as you."
The move rattled Time Warner executives in New York, insiders say, although Sentianin was never disciplined for the move.
Despite the internal strife, the Transworld stable of magazines has remained more or less unchanged from an editorial perspective. From the vantage point of a 14-year-old reader, Transworld is still just Transworld. But inside the office, things are not as happy as they used to be.
"There is some unrest, and it's hard for me because it's my child and I see it faltering," Balma said. "But you have to let kids grow up, and that's what's going on."
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OOPS...
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On 9/19/2003
Mike Moore
wrote in from
(66.196.nnn.nnn)
That wasn't really bad news as the mag will also get bigger and better. No bad news.
Michael, concerning today's dilemna...you did the right thing. Check out the Poolsharks...they agree.
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Subscription woes...
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On 9/19/2003
Mike Moore
wrote in from
(66.196.nnn.nnn)
Because of ongoing problems with our mailing house...we're shaking stuff up.
Good news...We're switching to First Class mailing. Mags will get where they're supposed to quicker and (supposedly) more reliably.
Bad news...It's going to raise the cost of subscriptions from $15 to $22.
I haven't even gotten mine yet.
I bought the only 2 copies they had at my local Hastings store. Check yours.
Please email Brooke a.s.a.p if you haven't gotten your mag yet.
Thanks.....
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Vol2 issue2
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On 9/18/2003
Michael (octane)
wrote in from
(195.92.nnn.nnn)
Amazing new issue, any skate mag that can 'get away' with a full page picture of coping (the Chlorine spread), a mention of Hieronymus Bosch (Jim Phillips spread) and double page shot of tight, straight slalom (Paris spread) deserve to succede!!!
Even a great shot of a handrail...sneaked in there but such a great shot though....(Scott Starr portfolio)
Keeep it Up.
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t-shirt order
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On 9/18/2003 LouDogg
wrote in from
(142.173.nnn.nnn)
thanx, will do....
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Canadian cw clothing
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On 9/18/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
due to import/export/gov't/customs stuff, Canadians have the unique pleasure of dealing with me directly...
for now!
if you'd like t-shirt, hats or jackets, email me, we'll send you prices and shipping info
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The goods...
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On 9/18/2003 Mike Moore
wrote in from
(66.196.nnn.nnn)
Contact tailtap.com. Beg and plead.
They can probably work with you.
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Concrete Wave t-shirt
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On 9/18/2003 LouDogg
wrote in from
(142.173.nnn.nnn)
I went to check out the prices for us Canadians and noticed it doesn't ship to Canada. How do I get a shirt? Does Logan Mcrae sell them at his new store in Vancouver?
thanks LD
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Concrete Wave Merchandise!!!
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On 9/18/2003
Mike Moore
wrote in from
(66.196.nnn.nnn)
All righty lads and lassies....
Be the most fashionable cat on the prowl...
Concrete Wave T-Shirts and Caps are NOW AVAILABLE!!!
Go to www.tailtap.com and get you some! After you get some of this...you might just get some of that!!!
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international longboarder....where did it go?
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On 9/18/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
International Longboarder had a 12 issue run. Sadly, it ended Summer 2002. While I know many folks enjoyed reading it (and we loved putting it together) it was a niche within a niche.
Concrete Wave includes longboarding...but it also includes oldschool, ditches, pools, parks, slalom, freestyle, etc. This broad base allows for growth and makes for a pretty cool read.
So, please visit concretewavemag.com to learn how to subscribe.
Look for our international correspondent Jim K. in France this month!
Et un grand bonjour a Pierre!
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Where went Longboarder International ?
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On 9/18/2003
Colin
wrote in from
(193.49.nnn.nnn)
Dear Michaël Brooke,
i was an avid reader of Longboarder International (in France). I always had free copies thanks to Pierre Samray (our french longsk8 guru :).
Did the release of this wonderfull magazine stopped ?
If it's the case, i'll switch to Concrete Wave !
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Mr. Brooke....
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On 9/17/2003 Stubbs
wrote in from
(66.137.nnn.nnn)
Was that pic taken before or after your daily session of Dungeons and Dragons and review of the periodic table of the elements? he, he, he....
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How I got back into it
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On 9/17/2003 Haim Rubinstein
wrote in from
(80.230.nnn.nnn)
Since the mid-70's and early 80's, when I was heavily into skateboarding back in NJ, I've always skated around town, to the post office, bank, or down some nice sloping hills. Now I live in Israel working as a psychologist and in the Winter of 2001 an adolescent I was treating mentioned a skateboard park in a town just 20 minutes from where I live. I hadn't ridden ramps or bowls for a long time, and all of a sudden I got all excited about giving it a go. I took my old Atlantic board with Gull Wings and Blue Kryptonics out to ride the half pipes and banks and was once again addicted. Riding vert is such a rush! I've since bought myself a new board, built a small quarter pipe practice ramp for my patio and skate a local parking lot and/or a skatepark every week. I've been able to resurrect all my old school tricks and admit that I'm working on learning ollies and new school tricks on transition. I've even resurrected my old skate music that the skatepark folks are happy to play for me. Lately, I met a few other old geezers like me out skating and we've started our own support group. The three things that are different skating intensely as a 41 year old are having less free time to skate, getting winded and tired quicker and taking longer to heal. I had a string of injuries the first 10 months I started skating vert, but have avoided all that over the past 4-5 months. Oh yeah, the fourth thing is the joy of teaching my daughters to skateboard. Passing it on to the next generation.
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my ugly mug
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On 9/17/2003
michael brooke
wrote in from
(209.183.nnn.nnn)
yes folks, that is my ugly mug...
and my sk8gzr website...
so, now you know...check the two tone airwalks...(hey, old habits die hard!)
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Story in local newspaper - link
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On 9/17/2003
Markintosh
wrote in from
(65.95.nnn.nnn)
[url=http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/liberal/story/1347216p-1587956c.html]Just click here for see the story[/url]
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